Otis Walker – OURFC Georgia Tour Roundup

Travel Day & Day 1 (7th & 8th Dec)

Waking up bright and early, the team met on a cold Saturday morning ready to take on a 2 week tour in Georgia. After some hefty delays, an almost missed connecting flight, and a nervy landing we landed at our first stop: Kutaisi. The following morning we explored the town; its vibrant markets and beautiful surroundings, as we got used to the cold. After becoming accustomed to the interesting… food choices of this nation at lunch, we contrasted the bustling Kutaisi with a trip to the abandoned spa town of Tskaltubo. There, we explored the abandoned bath houses of a once bustling Soviet town, including Stalin’s old house. 

The evening involved some more Georgian food and drink as well as the handing out of tour roles. My tour role as the youngest on tour (tour baby) has been to look after a stuffed toy cat and take it with me wherever I go. (harder than it sounds)

Day 2 (9th December)

Day 2 was a big rugby day: with a match in our sights, the team were keen to shake off the travel fatigue and sharpen up our rugby. We travelled to AIA arena in Kutaisi,  home of Georgia’s oldest rugby club and 2 top teams in top flight Georgian rugby. The morning session involved some shape practice, skills, line-out practice and a truly gruelling fitness session on what has been the hottest day of the tour so far. Following morning training, we used the club gym for a productive session. We all got a bit too proud of ourselves however, as we puzzled at the ease of lifting- only to realise the weights were in pounds, not kilograms.

 After a lunch break, we returned to the pitches for an evening session where we trained in opposition to the Georgian club. A fantastic opportunity to practice lineout mauls against surely the biggest pack we will see all season. After some broken english conversation, we played a competitive game of ‘touch’ rugby to end the session. An exhausting but rewarding day of rugby led the team to the local pub for a night of fun and “Ludi”s (Beer). 

Day 3 (10th December)

Following an early wake up, made difficult by yesterday’s intense training (and pubs), we piled onto 2 minibuses headed for the northern region of Racha. With limited space, our luggage’s fate was left in the hands of the thin blue rope that strapped them to the minibus roof. 

After a long but stunning journey, accompanied with some unconventional driving styles, we arrived in the beautiful town of Ambrolauri. We found a nearby football pitch on which we held an LFS, VHD (low foot speed, very high detail) session where we learnt and practiced a few new set play moves. We then ventured through the small town in search of some food. With our Georgian limited to “hello” “thank you” and “beer” we garnered some intrigue from the locals who weren’t used to tourists in their small community. What great hosts the people of Ambrolauri were; greeting us with nothing but kindness. Back to the hotel and some dinner to close off day 3.

Day 4 (11th December)

Wednesday was the day of the “surprise activity”. However, after being asked if our travel insurance covered white water rafting and what size wetsuit we were, the boys had a rough idea of what we might be doing. Another double minibus convoy took us further up the mountains to a (drumroll please) white water rafting camp. Following a bit more broken english conversation and a safety demonstration, the boys were out on the water in rafts of 6. The expected competitive nature of a team of rugby players led to intense races and the conversion of paddles from tools of steering, to tools of splashing the glacial melt water onto each other. This led to my stuffed toy (yes it had to come with me) getting rather soaked.

The kind Georgians that ran the rafting then fed us with a lovely barbecue and introduced us to a homemade spirit alcohol called “chacha”. After only a few shots of this mysterious spirit, we gained a new burst of energy and excitement as we sang all of our favourite songs for the entire bus journey back (poor drivers). A few more Ludi’s at the local (and only) bar in Ambrolauri closed off one of my favourite days of tour so far.

Day 5 (12th December)

An eventful morning in Racha, as we were greeted with 2 bits of news: our coach was to return home because of a sepsis scare (he’s fine) and our match had been moved forward to Friday (the next day). So, we found ourselves over a hundred miles from our opponents, feeling the consequences of the ‘chacha’, and without a coach, a day out from the most important day of tour. No problem! We piled back into those minibuses and faced a 6 hour drive into Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital. On arrival, the pressure of tomorrow’s match only mounted as our injured club captain, Luke Wylie, informed me that I would be captaining the Oxford Blues in tomorrow’s match. Honoured, excited and nervous are only a few of the words to describe the emotions I felt in the taxi to evening training as I kept the secret until it was announced. Feeling all sorts of illnesses, the team ripped into one final session before Friday’s match before returning to the hotel for an early night. 

Day 6 (Friday 13th December) Match Day

With Tockington all those years ago as my last point of reference as being rugby captain, I spent much of Friday morning in the shower freestyling some motivational words for my impending team talk. A large breakfast and coffee followed as the the buzz of match day began to fizz amongst the team. We arrived at Kochebi stadium at around 1 and began our preparations for the game.

After a sharp warm up, I led the team into the changing rooms for a pre-game team talk reminding them of the importance of showing character in overcoming the chaotic nature of the last couple days of tour. The players delivered in emphatic nature with a 50-24 win over Kochebi. Our hosts invited us to a post match meal with lots of laughs and a talk from their coach reminding us that in uncertain political circumstances, rugby united Georgians: “rugby is life”. 

Exhausted, a chill post-match social near the hotel for the team was the end of a successful day of rugby and, on a personal note, a proud day.

Day 7 (14th December)

A well deserved lie in on Saturday morning and an amble through town with a local Oxford Alumni, Rory. Keen to introduce us to Georgian customs, we were led to the sulphur baths who’s smell took getting used to. A mixture of cold and warm pools as well as a sauna were on offer as the team took the concept of recovery to new heights. Following a pampered morning, Rory then took us to a traditional Georgian spot for a late lunch. Still not convinced personally- going to stay away from sheep brain in future. After another unfortunate encounter with Georgian cuisine I headed to the store for some supplementary snacks. We then ventured towards the town centre where we were met by ongoing protests (peaceful at this time of day ) but the atmosphere was tense; police were present in the coachload and water cannon trucks fenced off the main square. 

With Saturday being a potentially large protest, we were full of intrigue but also concern. An evening venture down to the main square to observe the protests for a small group of us was cut short as a British journalist informed us we should leave if we don’t have gas masks. We promptly followed that advice. Safe and sound in the hotel, a desperate but futile attempt to find an english-speaking channel on the hotel TV sent me off to bed.

Day 8 (15th December)

Day 8 took us to Schuchmann Wine Production and Hotel, just outside Telavi. Just the one night here in luxurious settings. We had a lovely afternoon of swimming in the pool, gymming and napping. Then, the main event- wine tasting. We were given a tour around the wine making facilities with details on the process of producing wine. Then a dinner accompanied with a broad variety of wine made on location. The scientifically proven birthplace of wine, Georgia, did not disappoint, leading to many of the boys buying bottles to go home with.

That brings me to the end of the round up so far. Ahead, a return to Tbilisi to train with Georgia national rugby 7s team and then a weekend away in Istanbul… Exciting stuff!

Read the full roundup of the tour from the OURFC team here.