MHR-Ospreys: Luka Japaridze, the Georgian soul of MHR who dreams of martyring the opposing scrums

The right pillar of Montpellier has established himself as one of the key pieces of the Hérault scrum. In the purest tradition of Georgian forwards.

He could have been a judoka, two Georgian youth championship titles, but Luka Japaridze finally chose rugby.“I had the potential, but I preferred a team sport, playing a sport with friends”, smiles the right pillar of the MHR.

At 26, the native of Mestia has settled into a position where competition is tough. Despite the absence of Mohamed Haouas, at least for the match against the Ospreys but probably more, Wilfrid Hounkpatin, who arrived this summer from Castres, is also a solid client. “They are two great players, they played in the French team, it motivates me every day in training. If you give up, you lose your place here. You have to be at the back all the time”, he assures.

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“Brive, my second home”

However, not everything has been easy in recent months. First, he had to leave Brive, the club that welcomed him at 19,“It's my second home there. It wasn't easy to leave, I spent five incredible years, we were a real family”, he says. But in the summer of 2023, he ended up signing with the MHR, which had just left the man Luka had always admired, Misha Nariashvili. “I accepted a new challenge because I knew that Montpellier was a very big team.”

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But he was seriously injured during the World Cup with the Georgian selection and found himself on the sidelines. “The physical trainers gave me back my confidence. We worked hard and we managed to get me back into the group faster. When you arrive at a big club like Montpellier and you're injured, it's harder mentally. Because no one knows you here. You haven't played, you can't play. Mentally, frankly, it was very hard”

A test that the Georgian passed by recharging his batteries during his returns to his country, with his family. Georgia occupies an important place for Luka Japaridze, especially when he wears the Lelos jersey. “It's always a special moment”, he confirms. Even if he would like the Georgians to rub shoulders more often with the big nations of world rugby. “We played in South Africa this summer, it was extraordinary. When you play against France at the Stade de France… We played once in Bordeaux. It was incredible.”

On Saturday, against the Ospreys, Luka Japaridze will do what he likes to do the most, try to crush the opposing scrum. “It's the best moment in the match when the opposing scrum is penalized or you win the ball, it's a great source of pride”, he smiles. The Welsh have been warned…

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