Georgia made history at Principality Stadium by defeating Wales for the first time as they came back from nine points down to win 13-12.
Jac Morgan scored two tries in the first half to give Wales a 12-3 lead at the break, but an Alex Cuthbert yellow card gave Georgia space in the back field and Alexander Todua dotted down to reduce the deficit to just two points.
Then Luka Matkava turned the dominant Georgian forwards’ pressure into points with a long-distance penalty with three minutes to go and the Lelos held on for victory.
This marked an incredible year for Georgia, who also defeated Italy for the first time this summer, as they prepare for next year’s Rugby World Cup in the best possible way.
For Wales on the other hand, it raises significant questions, not scoring after the 24th minute and at times seeming unable to create clearcut opportunities.
They could not match their intensity of the 20-13 victory over Argentina a week ago, and now face Australia in a crucial match next weekend.
MORGAN AT THE DOUBLE AS WALES BUILD LEAD
Georgia began the game superbly and threatened to cause Wales significant problems with Davit Niniashvili in particular posing a threat each time he touched the ball from full-back.
The Lelos took a deserved lead through the boot of Tedo Abzhandadze after just two minutes and they continued to apply pressure on the Welsh defence for much of the opening fifteen minutes.
Wales’ intent was clear though, and after consecutive driving mauls were handled well defensively by the away side, they opted for a different approach at their next lineout attempt, with Georgia’s discipline beenning to falter.
Ken Owens threw the ball in and instead of the maul set they had used for the first 20 minutes, the ball was tapped down by Adam Beard into the hands of Ben Carter, who found Morgan in space down the blindside.
The Ospreys back row had plenty to do with two men to beat but dummied his way past and went over untouched for his first Test try.
Five minutes later and he was in again in the same corner of Principality Stadium turf, this time finding himself unmarked just outside the 22, before doing just enough to reach out under the pressure of Tornike Jalagonia to score his and Wales’ second.
Josh Adams thought he had scored one of the tries of the Autumn Nations Series after a chip and chase and acrobatic finish in the corner saw Cardiff come alive, but Tomos Williams’ pass was correctly judged to have gone forward and Wales had to settle for a nine-point cushion at the break.
GEORGIA MAKE HISTORY THANKS TO DOMINANT SCRUM
Cuthbert was sent to the sin-bin for taking Todua out in the air and Georgia took full advantage of Wales going down a man.
Wave after wave of Georgian attack, led by half-back pairing of Vasil Lobzhanidze and Abzhandadze, saw Wales’ defence put under immense pressure, and down a man it seemed inevitable that the Lelos would find a way over.
Lobzhanidze cleverly hacked through, beating George North to the ball to get a second boot to the ball and forcing Josh Adams to take it back over his five-metre line and hand the Lelos a scrum just five metres out.
A dominant scrum ensued, handing Georgia an advantage and a free play and after coming so close on a number of occasions throughout the match, Abzhandadze put in a pinpoint cross-kick to winger Todua, who found himself unmarked due to Cuthbert’s absence and finally crossed for a Georgia try.
Abzhandadze nailed the kick and suddenly Wales’ lead was reduced to just two points with just over 20 minutes to go.
Sam Wainwright was then penalised for not rolling away a few minutes later, with Wales struggling to deal with the intensity of the Lelos.
Abzhandadze had a chance to hand Georgia the lead but pulled it wide of the left upright to let Wales off the hook.
Both defences were largely on top for the majority of the game, although Morgan thought he had scored an unlikely hat-trick when diving over with seven minutes to go, before being chalked off for a knock-on from Taulupe Faletau in the build-up kept the two-point margin into the final five minutes.
That knock-on proved costly for Wayne Pivac’s men, with Georgia winning a penalty from the subsequent scrum and making significant yardage through the boot of replacement Matkava.
A knock-on from Georgia resulted in a Wales put-in at the scrum, but it was the same result, and Georgia won another penalty, with the Lelos totally dominant at the set piece in the final quarter.
Debutant Matkava stepped up and nailed his shot at goal from 45 metres out to give Georgia the lead with just three minutes to go.
Wales had one last chance with the ball in the Georgian 22, but yet another powerful scrum from the away side saw them take the ball back and make history in Cardiff.
