Black Lion (rugby union)
Georgian rugby union team, based in Tbilisi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Black Lion (Georgian: შავი ლომი Shavi Lomi) is a professional Georgian rugby union team based in Tbilisi that competes annually in the European Challenge Cup, the second tier of European club rugby.
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| Nickname | Lomi (The Lions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 | ||
| Location | Tbilisi, Georgia | ||
| Coach | Marco Bortolami (interim) | ||
| Captain | Mikheil Babunashvili | ||
| Most appearances | Luka Ivanishvili (36 appearances) | ||
| Top scorer | Luka Matkava (247 points) | ||
| Most tries | Akaki Tabutsadze (20 tries) | ||
| League(s) | Rugby Europe Super Cup 2021-2024 Currie Cup First Division 2022 EPCR Challenge Cup | ||
| 2021–22 SC 2022 SC 2022 CC | Champions Champions 1st Eastern Conference Semi-finalist 4th (league phase) | ||
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| Official website | |||
| facebook | |||
They also competed in the Currie Cup First Division in South Africa in 2022.[1] Black Lion competed in Rugby Europe Super Cup from 2021 to 2024.
History
The franchise was created in 2021 to participate in the Rugby Europe Super Cup. It is owned by the Georgian Federation, which employs the players. All the players are without clubs or playing in the Georgia league (Didi 10). Players are made available to Didi 10 clubs when they have no obligations with their franchise, up to a limit of 4 per club. The club played the Currie Cup First Division in 2022.[2] In Spring 2023, Black Lion toured South America, playing against the professional sides featuring in Super Rugby Americas. They defeated the club sides they faced, but were narrowly defeated 28–24 by a South America XV squad in Montevideo.[3]
In June 2023, Black Lion applied to take part in the European Challenge Cup, the second tier of European club Rugby.[4] They participated in the Challenge Cup for the 2023-24 season as one of two invited teams.[5] Black Lion were the first Georgian rugby team to ever play in the Challenge Cup tournament.[6] On 15 December 2023 Black Lion won their first match in the competition, defeating Welsh hosts Scarlets.[7]
Name
The name of the franchise has several inspirations. The players of the national team are sometimes nicknamed the lions, in reference to an (unofficial) anthem of the national team, which says: "freedom is the property of the lions". Also this is similar to the Georgian Rugby Union's slogan, "Freedom is a lion's destiny". The second inspiration comes from Georgian artist Niko Pirosmani, one of whose most famous works is the painting Black Lion.[8] The club logo is a reinterpretation of the lion's face in a style reminiscent of a fusion of the Georgian letters შ (shini) and ლ (lasi), the initials of the club's name, in the unique typeface of the Georgian alphabet.
Honours
- Rugby Europe Super Cup
- 2022 Currie Cup First Division semi-finalists
- Toyota Challenge
Wins against pro teams
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 December 2023 | Scarlets  |
7–23 |  Black Lion |
Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli | 2023–24 EPCR Challenge Cup |
| 7 December 2024 | Black Lion |
22–19 |  Vannes |
Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi | 2024–25 EPCR Challenge Cup |
| 10 January 2026 | Montauban |
28–31 | Black Lion |
Stade Sapiac, Montauban | 2025–26 EPCR Challenge Cup |
Current squad
The Black Lion squad for EPCR Challenge Cup 2025–26 season is:[9]
| Black Lion Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Wings
Fullbacks
|
| (c) Denotes team captain, Bold denotes internationally capped. |
Coaches
Current coaching staff
The current coaching staff for the Black Lion team:
| Name | Nationality | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Vasil Abashidze | GEO | Manager |
| Lekso Iordanishvili | GEO | Manager |
| Marco Bortolami (interim) |  ITA | Head coach |
| Lado Kilasonia | GEO | Assistant coach |
| Davit Nemsadze | GEO | Strength & Conditioning coach |
| William Lavis |  ENG | Rehab coach |
| Absalom Abramishvili | GEO | Physiotherapist |
| Ed Barry | ENG | Physiotherapist |
| Davit Ramishvili | GEO | Video-Analyst |
| Nika Pinaishvili | GEO | GPS-Analyst |