Fri 2
Georgia v New Zealand, Millennium Stadium
20:00 local, 19:00 GMTFive talking points: New Zealand v Georgia
ALLBLACKS.COM | 01 OCT 2015 | GETTY IMAGESAfter a hard-fought victory over Argentina and a closer than expected win against Namibia, the All Blacks roll into Millennium Stadium to play Georgia for the first time.
A win will almost certainly secure top place in Pool C for the All Blacks while Georgia will be looking to repeat its upset win over Tonga. Here are five talking points ahead of this historic clash.
The Millennium Stadium factor
The All Blacks need no reminding of what happened last time they played a World Cup match at Millennium Stadium. In perhaps the All Blacks darkest World Cup moment, they were knocked out by France in the 2007 quarter-final at the famous Welsh ground. With another quarter-final beckoning in Cardiff in two weeks, this match provides a chance for the All Blacks to erase any Millennium Stadium demons with a commanding win over a rugged Georgian outfit.
The Georgian Giant
All Blacks fans won’t be familiar with many names on the Georgia team sheet, but one name they will get to know quickly is giant number 8 Mamuka Gorgodze. At 1.96 and 118kgs, Gorgodze has established himself as one of the most damaging players in the French Top 14 where he plays for European champions Toulon. Nicknamed ‘Gorgodzilla’, the towering Georgian is known to rise to the big occasion and did so at the 2011 World Cup where he took out the man of the match award in Georgia’s brave clash with England.
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