Black Lion (rugby union)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2021) |
| File:The Black Lion შავი ლომი.jpg | |||
| Nickname(s) | Lomi (The Lions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 | ||
| Location | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||
| Coach(es) | Levan Maisashvili | ||
| Captain(s) | Merab Sharikadze | ||
| League(s) | Rugby Europe Super Cup Currie Cup First Division2022 EPCR Challenge Cup | ||
| 2021–22 SC 2022 CC | Champions (SC) 1st Eastern Conference Semi-finalist (CC) 4th on log | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| facebook | |||
The Black Lion (Georgian: შავი ლომი Shavi Lomi) is a professional Georgian rugby union team based in Tbilisi that competes annually in the Rugby Europe Super Cup Eastern Conference competition along with Romanian Wolves and Tel Aviv Heat and fellow Georgian team Batumi RC.[1][2] They also competed in the Currie Cup First Division in South Africa in 2022.[3] Black Lion hope to compete in the European Challenge Cup, the second tier of European club rugby, during the 2023-24 season as an invited team.
Name
The name of the franchise has several inspirations. The players of the national team are sometimes nicknamed the lions, in reference to an (unofficial) anthem of the national team, which says: "freedom is the property of the lions". Also this is similar to the Georgian Rugby Union's slogan, "Freedom is a lion's destiny". The second inspiration comes from Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani, one of whose most famous works is the painting Black Lion.[4] The club logo is a reinterpretation of the lion's face.
History
The franchise was created in 2021 to participate in the Rugby Europe Super Cup. It is owned by the Georgian Federation, which employs the players. All the players are without clubs or playing in the Georgia league (Didi 10). Players are made available to Didi 10 clubs when they have no obligations with their franchise, up to a limit of 4 per club. Georgian club joins into Currie Cup First Division since 2022.[5] In Spring 2023, Black Lion toured South America, playing against the professional sides featuring in Super Rugby Americas. They defeated the club sides they faced, but were narrowly defeated 28-24 by a South America XV squad in Montevideo. In June 2023, Black Lion applied to take part in the European Challenge Cup, the second tier of European club Rugby. [6]On July 6, 2023, it was announced that Black Lion will participate in the Challenge Cup for the 2023-24 season.[7]
Awards
Rugby Europe Super Cup 2021-2022, 2022
Current squad
| Black Lion South American Tour Squad[8] | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves |
Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks |
| (c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped. |
Coaches
Current coaching staff
The current coaching staff for the Black Lion team:
| Name | Nationality | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Vasil Abashidze |  GEO |
Manager |
| Lekso Iordanishvili | GEO |
Manager |
| Levan Maisashvili | GEO |
Head coach |
| Ilia Maisuradze | GEO |
Assistant coach |
| Lado Kilasonia | GEO |
Assistant coach |
| Cory Brown |  NZL |
Attack coach |
| Irakli Chkonia | GEO |
Strength & Conditioning coach |
| Davit Nemsadze | GEO |
Strength & Conditioning coach |
| William Lavis |  ENG |
Rehab coach |
| Absalom Abramishvili | GEO |
Physiotherapist |
| Ed Barry | ENG |
Physiotherapist |
| Davit Ramishvili | GEO |
Video-Analyst |
| Nika Pinaishvili | GEO |
GPS-Analyst |
See also
- Georgia national rugby union team
- Rugby union in Georgia
- Tbilisi Caucasians
- Category:The Black Lion players
References
- ^ "Rugby Europe launch The Super Cup". Rugby Europe.
- ^ "Log in or sign up to view". www.facebook.com.
- ^ "Black Lions Currie Cup". News24.
- ^ "Black Lion - Niko Pirosmani - WikiArt.org". www.wikiart.org.
- ^ Tshwaku, Khanyiso. "Georgia to play Currie Cup First Division rugby, South American matches on the cards". Sport.
- ^ Hardy, Matt (2023-06-20). "Georgia rugby bosses: We deserve place in Challenge Cup more than anyone". CityAM. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ "Georgia rugby bosses: EPCR-მა ქართულ რაგბის კარი გაუღო". rugby.ge (in Georgian). 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
- ^ "შავი ლომი 32 მორაგბით სამხრეთ ამერიკაში". rugby.ge.