Georgia’s Under 18 rugby team will face hosts France in the U18 Rugby Europe Championship 2017 final after defeating Japan in the tournament’s semifinal match on Tuesday.
The young Lelos came out on top in their semifinal game with a final score of 42:17, confirming the quality of Georgia’s upcoming rugby talent in front of their travelling fans.
Scoring six tries, Georgia surpassed the 40-point threshold for the second game in a row after defeating Canada 43-3 in the quarterfinal.
#Georgia joins #France in #Final of #U18RugbyEurope Championship 2017, defeating #Japan 42-17 in the second #Semifinal . pic.twitter.com/UHMfoSmpoS
— Rugby Europe (@rugby_europe) 11 April 2017
The U18 Lelos will now play their French counterparts for the ultimate honours of the championship for the third year in a row. France, the top seed of the tournament, reached the final after defeating Spain and Portugal in the playoff rounds.
Launched on April 7, the U18 competition featured teams from 20 countries in celebration of the future stars of international rugby.
Georgia scored over 40 points in two successive games before reaching Saturday's final. Photo: Georgian Rugby.
With organisers inviting Japan, the United States and Canada for the 2017 edition, the total number of players involved in the 18th edition of the tournament reached 600.
The participating teams are split into three levels for the tournament.
Georgia are placed among eight top teams in the Championship to compete for the ultimate U18 Rugby Europe title.
Georgia's U18 team in action against Canada. Photo: Georgian Rugby.
Eight more teams are part of the second-tier Trophy level serving to identify promotion to, and relegation from, between The Championship and the lower Conference 1 level.
The U18 Rugby Europe final is set to be held on the Penvillers Stadium in the commune of Quimper in France’s western Brittany region on Saturday.
The game will be streamed live on the official Rugby Europe page for the tournament.