Beka Gigashvili ( ka, ბექა გიგაშვილი; born 17 February 1992) is a Georgian

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player. His position is

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

, and he currently plays for RC Toulonnais in the

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

and the Georgia national team.

Rugby career

Gigashvilli was a latecomer to the sport, telling

Midi Olympique Midi Olympique is a French bi-weekly newspaper specializing in rugby, belonging to the La Dépêche group and based partly in Toulouse and partly in Paris. The first edition was published on 2 September 1929, meaning it is one of the oldest French ...

that he had not seen a rugby match until he was 20 years old. Returning from the army, he was persuaded by a friend to join a training session- six months later, he signed for Spartak GM Moscow in Russia. In France, Gigashvili helped SO Chambéry win the Jean Prat Trophy at the conclusion of 2016–17 Fédérale 1 season. His former coach, Cyril Villain, described Gigashvili as "versatile", "hard-working", and possessing "very good scrummaging" skills. He signed with Grenoble in 2017. Following the

2019 Rugby World Cup The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match ...

, Gigashvili signed with

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

, a move he described as being influenced by previous successful spells at the club for compatriots including

Mamuka Gorgodze Mamuka Gorgodze ( ka, მამუკა გორგოძე) (born 14 July 1984) 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 cl ...

Levan Chilachava Levan Chilachava (Georgian: ლევან ჩილაჩავა) (born 17 August 1991 in Sokhumi, Georgia) is a Georgian rugby union player. He plays prop for Georgia on international level. Chilachava also plays for French club, Toulon in t ...

and

Konstantin Mikautadze Konstantin Mikautadze (born 1 July 1991 in Sokhumi, Georgia) is a Georgian rugby union player. He plays lock for Georgia on international level. Mikautadze also plays for French club, Toulon in the Top 14 competition.Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

in the 2019-20 European Rugby Challenge Cup in November 2019. He made a strong impression in his first season, bringing stability to the Toulon scrum and winning praise as a powerful carrier, including for his first try for ''les rouges et noir'' in a 41-19 win over Clermont. Gigashvili suffered a hamstring injury representing Georgia against

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in the

Autumn Nations Cup The Autumn Nations Cup was a rugby union competition held in November and December 2020 in place of the usual Autumn internationals series typically held in the same period each year, as many teams were avoiding extended travel due to the COVID- ...

, having started in all their previous games in the competition against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. In February 2021, he renewed his contact with RCT until 2024. At the end of the 2021/22 season, he represented the Barbarians for the first time, starting in a 52-21 win over

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium () in Twickenham, south-west London, England, is a rugby union stadium owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), English rugby union governing body, which has its headquarters there. The England national rugby union team play ...

and did the same as Georgia defeated

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

28-19 in

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of th ...

, his nation's first win over a Six Nations side. Gigashvili began the 2022-23 Top 14 season in good try scoring form, crossing the line in victories against Clermont, Pau and

Stade Français Stade Français Paris Rugby () is a French professional rugby union club based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The club plays in the Top 14 domestic league in France and is one of the most successful French clubs of the modern era. The ...

. He was rated as the regular season's best tighthead prop by ''Midi Olympique'', describing him as a 'nightmare' for opponents in the scrum. Gigashvili scored a try and was man-of-the-match as Toulon defeated Benetton Rugby 23-0 to reach the final of the 2022-23 EPCR Challenge Cup, before starting in the final as part of a 43-19 win over

Glasgow Warriors Glasgow Warriors are a professional rugby union side from Scotland. The team plays in the United Rugby Championship league and in the European Professional Club Rugby tournaments. In the 2014–15 season they won the Pro12 title and became t ...

at the Aviva Stadium.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gigashvili, Beka 1992 births Living people Rugby union players from Georgia (country) Georgia international rugby union players Rugby union players from Tbilisi Rugby union props Expatriate rugby union players from Georgia (country) in France 2019 Rugby World Cup players 2023 Rugby World Cup players FC Grenoble Rugby players RC Toulon players