SPORTS
SEPTEMBER 25 - OCTOBER 1
23
Frida y Night R ugb y Wor ld Cup F ever to Sw ee p Geor gia riday Rugb ugby orld Fe Swee eep Georgia By Alastair Watt Georgians, young and old, Mingrelian and Kakhetian, rugby-savvy and otherwise, will be glued to their television screens on the night of September 25 as Georgia face Argentina in their second Pool C match at the Rugby World Cup in England. The Lelos go into the match second in Pool C, and knowing that a first ever victory against the Pumas would almost certainly secure a spot in the last 8. Argentina pushed reigning champions New Zealand fairly close in their opener on September 20, losing 26-16 having led by a point at half-time. The bookmakers, along with most international rugby experts, are favoring Argentina quite strongly but it’s the South Americans under the most pressure here, and at a venue where Georgia enjoyed very recent success – Kingsholm, Gloucester. It was here that, in front of a capacity crowd, Georgia registered arguably their best ever result with a 17-10 triumph against Tonga in their opening World Cup Pool C clash on September 19. “The greatest moment of my career” was how outstanding captain Mamuka Gorgodze described Georgia’s victory over the Tongans, ranked five places above the Lelos in the world rankings. And among a wealth of excellent performances it was Gorgodze who spearheaded Georgia’s comeback having gone behind to a Kurt Morath penalty in the 9th minute. The Lelos then spurned a straightforward opportunity to level the scores but the normally dependable Merab Kvirikashvili missed a routine penalty attempt. He soon made amends, striking be-
tween the posts in the 19th minute to level the scores at 3-3. A turning point in a tense contest arrived in the 27th minute as, after a spell of concerted Georgian pressure, Gorgodze powered his way over the line to score under the posts. Referee Nigel Owens required video assistance to award the try but the Georgian players’ celebrations were convincing enough to suggest there was no decision to make. Kvirikashvili then dispatched the simplest of conversions to give Georgia a 10-3 lead. Moments before half-time, Tonga thought they had scored a try of their own as Viliami Ma’afu raced over
to touch down but the celebrations were cut short by referee Owens who correctly spotted a forward pass in the build-up. Shortly after half-time Kvirikashvili, who enjoyed a mixed afternoon, missed another penalty but he was soon making up for it with a marauding run through the Tongan defence to lay the foundations for Georgia’s second try. Working the ball from right to left, flanker Giorgi Tkhilaishvili stormed over the line for an excellent Georgian score in the 57th minute, to send the pockets of Georgian fans into delirium in the sun of southwest England. Typical of the topsy-turvy game
Kvirikashvili was having, he then scored the conversion from a tight angle, by some margin his most difficult kick of the day. With a 17-3 lead and little more than 20 minutes remaining, victory was in sight but Georgia had to endure a nervy finale. First, Tongan wing Fetu’u Vainikolo eventually broke through what seemed an imperious Georgian back line after several minutes of attacking pressure, touching down by the corner flag. By the time Morath converted the try, Georgia had been reduced to 14 men as Kvirikiashvili was sin-binned for a misdemeanour in the build-up to the Tongan score.
With eight minutes remaining, Tonga had an extra man with which to secure a tie with a converted try. But it wasn’t to materialise. First, Georgia ought to have put the game out of sight when they were awarded a penalty with five minutes remaining. However, with first-choice kicker Kvirikiashvili side-lined, Lasha Malughuradze stepped up only to hook his attempt wide of target. Nevertheless, the Lelos stood firm, defending heroically to earn a memorable triumph. The scenes at the final whistle were simply euphoric as the Georgian players celebrated along with the few hundred Georgian fans who had made their voices heard all afternoon with their customarily vociferous support. New Zealander head coach Milton Haig, who had been claiming for months that Georgia’s preparations had been of a very high standard, was understandably joyous. “Today was pretty historic for everyone involved in Georgian rugby, and we are very pleased. “This is the best-prepared side ever to leave Georgia, and today we showed that. Fitness-wise, we were able to sustain our defence over 80 minutes, and that allowed us to come away with the win,” said the victorious Georgian head coach. The victory is Georgia’s third ever at a World Cup and puts them in an excellent position to record two victories at the tournament, which was the mission the Lelos set themselves beforehand. However, Argentina, Georgia’s next opponents on September 25 again in Gloucester, won’t be relishing the prospect of facing a confident and courageous side, which might just be starting to dream of the knockout stage.
CULTURE
Me garita Sho ws Geor gia Thr ough F emale Ey es Me,, Mar Marg Shows Georgia hrough Female Eyes By Joseph Larsen Review of Me, Margarita by Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili, published in English in 2015 by Dalkey Archive. Georgia is a patriarchal society, so we’re told. The Georgian family and community is ruled by Mama (“father” in Georgian, ironic to most foreigners) a man’s man with a bushy moustache, barrel chest and swollen stomach. Mama is tough but fair, and his stewardship is what keeps the household and village safe and calm during the storm. Mama is the backbone of Georgia. So we’re told. Mama is tough, most of the time. But standing behind – and sometimes in front of – Mama is Deda (“mother”) who is just as tough, more resourceful, and probably more instrumental in holding the home, community and country together. There’s Mama with his bold words and sound and fury, then there’s Deda with her calm strength and innate sense of responsibility. Georgia’s story is usually told with male voices. It is written by male writers and features mostly male characters. It’s like stories told in most of the world. But in Me, Margarita, Georgian author Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili has created a different narrative. Her Georgia is a story about women. Me, Margarita is a book of short stories chronicling the experience of being a woman in Georgia. Each of the book’s 22 chapters features a female protagonist (or group of them) enjoying the raptures of love, sex, friendship and motherhood. They also feel the pain of disappointment, loneliness, alcoholism and suicide. This book is bleak. But the tears are softened by black humor, like in this excerpt from An Insignificant Story of a
Failed Suicide: “She ruled out the idea of hanging herself. She couldn’t possibly climb a tree to do it … The truth is she could barely climb the stairs. Never mind hanging herself, she’d never even managed to hang a picture.” Even the book’s most tragic moments occur without these women feeling self pity. In Nina, a story told by the critical voice of the titular character’s only friend, Nina is an ageing former debutante. She’s tired, drunk, and eventually discarded by a lover “who likes young women.” The decision she takes to end her life isn’t a display of strength, but it is carried out with wilful dignity. Me, Margarita is not a linear historical narrative. It tells Georgia’s story in fragments; a series of character studies where time, place and voice are often unclear to the reader. There are direct references to historical periods, however, such as in the first story, Me Margarita. The narrative begins in 1871 and charts the lives of a line of mothers and daughters stretching all the way to the 1990s. Later, we spend time in an apartment which withstood Tsarism and war, and later changed hands during Stalin’s collectivization drive during the early 1930s. Fast forward to 2004, and we’re given the chance to see Georgia through foreign eyes. The protagonist, whose name and country of origin are never provided, has this to say about the country: “In this country, no matter who you ask, everyone says that everything will be alright and wishes will all come true … There are constant wars, or elections, they curse politicians the whole time, beggars are always running in the streets … It’s totally depressing, but still they are always happy.” This excerpt will resonate with anyone who has experienced Georgia as an
outsider. It’s also an example of Kordzaia-Samadashvili’s bittersweet tone. Life is hard, and everyone wants something better than what they have. But in these stories, a stubborn optimism grows out of the gloom. This is a book that breaks many taboos. Lesbian love and sex are treated as natural and acceptable. Drunkenness, lewd language and wanton sexuality are feminine behaviors. The book also contains an essay titled When A Parrot Flies Over You, offering the author’s views on love and sexuality. According to her, Georgia’s main contemporary problem is that the sexual revolution of the 1960s passed it by. Male characters also make an appearance in Me Margarita. And they aren’t villains. But the men usually aren’t present when the story begins, and they certainly aren’t there when it ends. They invariably lack strength. Notably, we rarely read dialogue spoken by a male figure. They often play key roles: father, husband, lover (usually absent or unreliable, in any case). But they rarely speak. They are merely spoken of. The greatest achievement of Me, Margarita may be that it succeeds in being feminist without being snarky or caustic. This is not a polemic. It’s arguably not even social criticism. These women aren’t heroes. They’re people. Plainly. This is a complex collection that not everyone will enjoy. The deadpan writing style won’t appeal to all readers, and the grim subject matter is difficult to stomach at times. But it is powerful, relevant and unique. Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili doesn’t just tell Georgia’s story using female voices. She does so compellingly. If you plan to read a book by a Georgian author this year, Me, Margarita should be near the top of your list.