 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1996-02-08)8 February 1996 (age 29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of birth | Rustavi,Georgia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 110 kg (17 st 5 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Beka Gorgadze (Georgian:ბექა გორგაძე; born 8 February 1996) is aGeorgianrugby union player, currently playing forTop 14 sidePau. His preferred position isnumber 8.
Beka Gorgadze grew up inRustavi,Georgia, nearTbilisi. Initially starting withfootball, he switched to rugby at the age of 8, joiningRC Rustavi Kharebi. He later representedGeorgia at various youth levels, including U16, U18, and U20.[1]
In 2015, Gorgadze joined the academy ofStade Montois. On December 11, 2015, he played his first match inPro D2 againstUS Carcassonne, at the age of 19.[2] In his first professional season, he played 12 league matches. Beka Gorgadze then became French U23 Elite 2 champion at the end of the 2015-2016 season. During the 2016-2017 season, he played 20 Pro D2 matches and scored 4 tries. He scored his first professional try on January 13, 2017, at theStade Armandie againstSU Agen.[3]
In April 2017, he signed withUnion Bordeaux Bègles[4] but stayed with Stade Montois for the 2017-2018 season.[4] He did not play any matches during the 2017-2018 season due to an injury that kept him off the field for the entire season.[5]
He played 14 matches in theTop 14 and 2 in theEuropean Challenge Cup during the 2018-19 season with UBB. In the 2019-20 season, he only played 3 Top 14 matches and 4 Challenge Cup matches. During the 2020-2021 season, he got injured during a match with his national team and suffered a knee ligament rupture, ending his season in December 2020. He played only 2 league matches with UBB.
At the beginning of the2021–22 Top 14 season, Beka Gorgadze moved further south toPau.[6] InBéarn, Gorgadze has firmly established himself as an essential leader atSection Paloise, assuming the role of captain for a squad composed of numerous promising young talents.[7] With Section Paloise, Gorgadze now plays in the position ofnumber 8, taking on the role of a ball carrier.[8] He established himself as a key player inSébastien Piqueronies' squad.[9]
In April 2022, he extended his contract for 3 more seasons.[10]
For the 2022-23 season, Beka Gorgadze was named captain ofSection Paloise.[11]
Beka Gorgadze has representedGeorgia at various youth levels, including U16, U18, and U20.[1]
In 2019, Gorgadze was selected by Georgia to compete in theWorld Cup in Japan, where he became his national team's first choicenumber 8.[12]
In November 2022, Beka Gorgadze and his Georgian teammate atSection Paloise,Guram Papidze, were starters for theGeorgia national rugby union team during the historic win againstWales at theMillennium Stadium in Cardiff.[13]
Gorgadze, a key player and vice-captain for the Lelos injured his ankle during the2023 Rugby World Cup match againstPortugal (18-18), and was withdrawn from the squad for the ramindaer of the tournament.[14]Otar Giorgadze has been selected as his replacement.[15]