Georgia's flyer on his way to the top

IT'S THE Rugby Europe Championship final next week between Georgia and Spain at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi which would be an ideal time and place for Georgia's try machine Akaki Tabutsadze to pull ahead of Brian O'Driscoll on the all-time list of Test try scorers.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

The Georgian flyer, still only 27, is currently equal ninth with Brian O'Driscoll on 47 tries and such is his habit of scoring in clutches that he could even bring up the half century if the Lelos really engage top gear - which they might have to if Spain travel with their strongest squad.

There are those who will sniff at his position among the world's elite players but they need to give themselves a good talking to. Test rugby is Test rugby and if there are those who question his credentials it's simple-add Georgia to the Six Nations and let's see him pitched against T1 nations on a more regular basis. Put up or shut up.

In this season's championship he has already helped himself to six tries with power to add and that's on top of tries against Italy and Tonga in the autumn. Last season he scored seven in the championship including a hat-trick against Romania and the season before it was eight with a hattrick against Germany.

It's not just the quantity, it's the quality of the tries he bags. He reminds me of Philippe Saint-Andre from yesteryear, blessed perhaps with even more gas and he is absolutely deadly with his trademark long distance chip and chases. He clearly belongs in a more rarefied level of rugby and thereby hangs something of mystery.