| Date of birth | 21 September 1973 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (14 st 13 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Grigol Labadze, better known as Gia Labadze (born 21 September 1973 in Tbilisi) is a retired Georgian rugby union player. He played as a flanker or number 8.
Labadze moved to France from Russia where he was previously playing domestically in 1998 after being spotted playing for Georgia against Ireland and Romania in the 1999 World Cup qualifiers, [1] he joined Fédérale 2 SO Chambéry initially before joining Toulon in 2000 where he spent the majority of his club career and was a regular part of the side for a decade, helping them to two Pro D2 titles in 2005 and 2008 and captaining them between 2006 and 2007. He left Toulon at the end of the 2008/09 season and alongside Czech winger Martin Jágr, he was given a lap of honour at Toulon's last home game of the season at the Stade Mayol. [2]
After leaving Toulon, Labadze spent the rest of his career in Fédérale 1, he joined Stade Phocéen for a single season and spent his last two seasons with La Seyne before retiring from rugby in 2012. [3]
Labadze played for the Soviet Union at age grade level, [4] and made his debut for Georgia in 1996 against Czech Republic. [5] He was a mainstay of the national side from his debut for 15 years, playing in Georgia's first two World Cup campaigns in 2003 and 2007 and captaining the side on six occasions. He hoped to make Georgia's squad for the 2011 World Cup but failed to do so. However he received a surprise recall aged 38 to the side for the 2012 tour to North America before he retired from rugby.
Labadze retired with 67 caps with 12 tries and as the third most capped Georgian player of all time. And at the age of 38 in his final appearance against Canada in 2012, he is the oldest player ever to play for Georgia and tenth oldest international player of all time.
Rugby Club Toulonnais, also referred to as Rugby Club Toulon or simply Toulon, is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon and competing in the Top 14. Located on the French Riviera, in the Provence region, the club plays its home games at the 17,500-capacity Stade Mayol.
The Stade Mayol is a multi-purpose stadium in Toulon, France. It is currently used mostly for rugby union matches and is the home stadium of RC Toulonnais. The stadium is able to hold 17,500 people. It is one of the few French stadiums to be embedded in the city and surrounded by high buildings. It was built at the foot of the Mont Faron, the hill on which Toulon is partly built, and overlooks the Toulon military harbour on the Mediterranean.
FC Dinamo Batumi is a Georgian professional football club based in Batumi, Adjara that competes in the Erovnuli Liga, the top division of the national football system.
Davit Zirakashvili is a former Georgian rugby union player. He played most of his career for Clermont in the top French professional rugby league, the Top 14. He played as a tighthead prop. He is seen as one of Georgia's finest ever rugby players and was voted Georgian sportsman of the year in 2010.
Martin Jágr is a Czech rugby union footballer. He is nicknamed "Jaguar". His position on the field is on the wing. Jágr is usually considered one of the best rugby union players from his country.
Mate Vatsadze is Georgian football player who plays for Erovnuli Liga club Gagra.
The 2009–10 Top 14 competition was a French domestic rugby union club competition operated by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR). It began on August 14, 2009 with a match between Toulon and Stade Français at Stade Mayol in Toulon, and continued through to the final at the Stade de France on May 29, 2010.
Mamuka Gorgodze is a Georgian former rugby union player, who played in the top French professional rugby competition, the Top 14. He played for Toulon, having signed with the club in 2014 after having played for Montpellier since 2005. His usual position is flanker or number eight, but he played his early career as a lock. Gorgodze played for the Georgia national rugby union team in 71 matches, including 13 as a captain. He appeared for the Georgia national team in three World Cups in 2007, 2011, and 2015. In May 2017, he announced his retirement from the national team. In 2019 he returned to the national team for the World Cup in Japan.
Kakhaber Chkhetiani is a Georgian former professional football player and manager. Most recently he was the head coach of Torpedo Kutaisi.
Samu Manoa is an American rugby union player who plays for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby (MLR). Manoa was described in 2014 by ESPNscrum.com as "perhaps the finest No. 8 playing the game in the northern hemisphere." He retired from international rugby in 2019 with 22 caps.
Malkhaz Urjukashvili is a Georgian rugby union player. He plays as a wing.
Davit Kubriashvili is a former Georgian rugby union player. His position is prop. He played for Georgia in the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Davit Kacharava is a Georgian rugby union player who plays as a centre.
Irakli Machkhaneli is a retired Georgian rugby union player who played as a wing.
Shalva Sutiashvili is a Georgian rugby union player who plays as a flanker.
Alexandre Menini is a retired French rugby union player, who played prop for Top 14 side Toulon. He previously played for Oyonnax, Béziers, Pays d'Aix RC, Stade Montois and Biarritz.
Budu Zivzivadze is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a striker for 2. Bundesliga club Karlsruher SC and the Georgia national team.
Giorgi Chakvetadze is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or left winger for EFL Championship club Watford, and the Georgia national team.
Beka Gigashvili is a Georgian rugby union player. His position is prop, and he currently plays for RC Toulonnais in the Top 14 and the Georgia national team.
Levan Kutalia is a Georgian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Erovnuli Liga club Dinamo Batumi.
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