The moment Gorgodze pulled out a knife in the Toulon dressing room
Springboks legend Bryan Habana has labelled Mamuka Gorgodze as one of the scariest guys he has ever played with, recalling the jaw-dropping moment the Georgian forward presented All Blacks great Ma’a Nonu with a knife in the Toulon dressing room.
The East European hardman spent six seasons with the powerhouse French club and his time there overlapped with the periods that Habana and Nonu also played for the team under Bernard Laporte.
Habana has now recalled his experiences with Gorgodze, branding him a frightening character you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of. Despite this sense of dread cultivated on the rugby pitch, the Georgian was contrastingly a very stylish operator off it and his name cropped up in a story about fashion on this week’s RugbyPass Offload.
Appearing as a guest on the show with Ryan Wilson and Max Lahiff, the now-retired Habana explained how Nonu once gave Gorgodze a rare pair of adidas runners and by way of thanks, the forward handed a knife to the New Zealander the following day at training.
It was a friendly symbol of his gratitude for the gifted sportswear he had received but the sight of a knife in the Toulon dressing room created quite a stir.
Asked who scared him most in rugby, Habana explained: “There were a few Georgians and one of the scariest guys I ever played has got to be Mamuka Gorgodze, I’d literally be scared to walk past that guy. You wouldn’t want to put a foot wrong. There were a few punch-ups on the training field where Mamuka just let rip.
“He is a very stylish guy and Ma’a Nonu had got a pair of these adidas Yeezy, these Kanye West shoes. They were very rare, very intricate. Mamuka had been looking for Yeezy and he asked did Ma’a have an adidas contact. Ma’a was like, ‘Listen, you can have my pair, my size twelves’.
“Ma’a gives Mamuka these size twelve adidas Yeezy and he is so thankful. Ma’s gets to training the next morning and Mamuka comes in and goes, ‘I want to say thank you for the shoes’. He gives him a knife. Ma’a Nonu is like, ‘I don’t know what to do with this?’ Mamuka was, ‘Take it, it’s for you’.
“It was this big symbol of appreciation and respect and everything. But Mamuka Gorgodze gives Ma Nono a knife in the changing room, we are all like, ‘Okay, we’re going to leave now, we’re going to close this door and whatever is happening here please don’t bring it outside’.
“He is an absolute gent, Mamuka, but one of the scariest blokes. You don’t want to step in any way on his wrong side because I saw a few punches being thrown. I’m like, ‘That is why I don’t play in the forwards’, especially because of Mamuka Gorgodze.”
The Georgian was mentioned later on the show when Habana was asked what was the biggest training ground fight he had ever witnessed. “Mamuka Gorgodze and Marcel van der Merwe,” he replied.
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments