Georgia’s Six Nations ambitions suffer major setback

Georgia had dominated the competition for years, but Portugal delivered a remarkable performance, particularly in defence, to claim their first win over the Lelos since 2005.

The victory earned Portugal a memorable trophy moment and crowned them champions for the first time in the modern era of the competition.

The result also brought an end to Georgia’s 43-match unbeaten run in the tournament and meant Rugby Europe had new champions for the first time since 2017.

For Portugal, it marked their first European title since 2004, long before the Rugby Europe Championship existed, and the celebrations reflected the magnitude of the achievement.

The upset came just 48 hours after Georgian rugby was shaken by a major anti-doping investigation. A joint inquiry by the World Anti-Doping Agency and World Rugby revealed that six Georgian international players and a member of the support staff had breached anti-doping regulations.

Authorities reported five cases of sample substitution between 2019 and 2023, an offence classified as tampering under anti-doping rules.

Combined with Wales’ recent Six Nations victory over Italy, the result complicates the case for Georgia’s inclusion in the Six Nations.

Georgia had long dominated Europe’s second-tier competition, prompting calls for a promotion and relegation play-off with Wales, who had not won a Six Nations match since 2023 prior to that result. However, this weekend’s outcomes are likely to dampen those discussions.

Georgia have also experienced recent changes in leadership. Former England hooker and coach Richard Cockerill resigned as head coach of Georgia and Black Lion with immediate effect in December 2025.

Former Sale Sharks coach Marco Bortolami then took charge on an interim basis before the appointment of Frenchman Pierre-Henry Broncan as head coach.