A hard-as-nails front ranker in the quintessentially Georgian mould, Giorgi Zakashvili was always well suited to the confrontational nature of the French game. A 24-year-old Zakashvili made his Fédérale 1 debut in 2014, soon making the Provence number one jersey his own. So influential was the loosehead, that he started 13 of 17 games in the team’s title-winning season, with a step up to Pro D2 coming in 2015/16. The attritional nature of Pro D2 necessitated squad rotation, but so crucial was Giorgi to the team’s set piece that he amassed over one thousand minutes, including fifteen run-on starts.

The club returned to Fédérale 1 in 2016/17, but within a season, Zakashvili had caught the attention of rivals Bourgoin, who aggressively recruited the destructive ball-carrier, bringing him to Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, where he has remained ever since. Whilst so many front rankers are guilty of low tackle counts, the line speed and aggressive nature of Giorgi’s defence is a hallmark of his game. He is often employed in the wider channels, using his speed to support outside backs and create mismatches when fending off countless backline opponents. With all the ball-handling and vision of a modern tight forward, it is still the fundamentals of a ruthless scrummager that makes Giorgi so valuable to any squad that seeks silverware.