Malkhaz Urjukashvili ( ka, მალხაზ ურჯუკაშვილი, born 24 September 1980 in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

) 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. He plays as a

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

Career

Urjukashvili moved to France, where he has been playing in

Stade Toulousain Stade Toulousain () ( oc, Estadi Tolosenc), also referred to as Toulouse, is a professional rugby union club based in Toulouse, France. They compete in the Top 14, France's top division of rugby, and the European Rugby Champions Cup. Toulou ...

RC Nîmes Rugby Club Nîmes Gard (also known as just RC Nîmes) are a French rugby union club that currently compete in the Fédérale 2 competition, the third division of French rugby. They have in the past played in the higher divisions, and in 1991 were ...

US Tours US Tours Rugby is a French rugby union club that currently competes in the fourth division of French club rugby, the Fédérale 2 competition. US Tours previously competed in the higher divisions, being relegated from Rugby Pro D2 after the 2001-0 ...

, in 2003, Rugby Club Cannes Mandelieu, from 2003/04 to 2006/07, in the

Fédérale 2 Fédérale 2 is a rugby union club championship division in France. It is the sixth division of rugby above Fédérale 3. Teams can earn promotion to Fédérale 1, and subsequently, to the National 2 and Nationale leagues, and on to the professio ...

Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne (commonly known as Aurillac) is a French professional rugby union club that was founded in 1904 and currently play in the Rugby Pro D2, the second division of French rugby. Aurillac`s home matches are mostly play ...

, from 2007/08 to 2008/09, in the

Rugby Pro D2 Rugby Pro D2, also known as Pro D2 is the second tier of rugby union club competition division in France. It is operated by Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) which also runs the division directly above, the first division Top 14. Rugby Pro D2 was in ...

, Groupe Sportife Figeacois, from 2009/10 to 2011/12, and SC Decazeville, since 2012/13, in the

. He is one of the best players and scorers for

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, holding currently 69 caps for his National Team, with 18 tries, 42 conversions, 41 penalties and 1 drop goal, in an aggregate of 313 points. His first match was a 29-15 win over

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, in

, at 12 October 1997, aged only 17 years old. This made him one of the youngest players ever to be capped at international rugby level. He was called for the

2003 Rugby World Cup The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup. Originally planned to be hosted by India, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the Indian Rugby Union and Rugby World Cup ...

, playing three matches and scoring 2 penalties and 1 drop goal, 9 points in aggregate. In the game against England at Perth, he kicked a long range penalty that was Georgia's first Rugby World Cup points (England eventually won the game 84-6). He was called once again for the

2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 2 ...

, playing in all the four matches and scoring one conversion. He continued to be a valuable player in the

2011 Rugby World Cup The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board (IRB) selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Af ...

qualification, the third Georgia gained in a row, playing three games and scoring 1 penalty and 1 conversion in the final stage, 5 points on aggregate. He has been absent from his national team since then.Malkhaz Urjukashvili International Statistics
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References

External links

* 1980 births Living people Rugby union players from Georgia (country) Rugby union wings Expatriate rugby union players from Georgia (country) Expatriate rugby union players in France Expatriate sportspeople from Georgia (country) in France Georgia international rugby union players Rugby union players from Tbilisi {{Georgia-rugbyunion-bio-stub