Rugby Club Batumi will join the Rugby Europe Super Cup for the 2022/23 season, with the second edition starting in September.
The Georgian Rugby Union and Rugby Europe have today announced that Rugby Club Batumi will play in the Rugby Europe Super Cup 22/23, the annual European club competition.
Launched by the European governing body last year, the competition involves 8 teams from emerging European unions.
The Champions of 2022 domestic Championship will play in the Eastern Conference, with the Black Lion, the winner of the first edition of the Rugby Europe Super Cup, the Tel-Aviv Heat and the Romanian Wolves, the new franchise lead by the Romanian Rugby Union.
The Rugby Club Batumi, created in 1969, has already been involved in European competition in the EPCR 2018 Continental Shield, losing in the pool playoffs against the Timisoara Saracens.
Octavian Morariu, President of Rugby Europe, said: “We are pleased to welcome the RC Batumi for the second edition of the Rugby Europe Super Cup. The Champions of Georgian championship represent a strong team that will contribute to the success of our competition and expand the passion of rugby fans. I wish them good luck.”
RC Batumi, President Club director Gela Kobuladze hopes that the international experience will be useful to the team in the upcoming tournament:
"Many thanks to the leadership of Georgian Rugby Union, personally to Soso Tkemaladze and Lasha Khurtsidze, who spared no effort, conducting discussions with Rugby Europe, which has won us the right to participate in the Rugby Europe Super Cup for Batumi.
“To achieve this goal, the club worked hard claiming the title of champion, which gave us the opportunity to think about participating in European tournaments.
“We already have international experience; we reached the semi-finals of the Continental Shield and I hope we will have success in the Rugby Europe Super Cup as well. In addition, we will fight to retain the title of the Georgian ‘Didi 10’ champions.”
The executive director of Georgian Rugby Union, Lasha Khurtsidze, congratulated the Champions on their participation in the European tournament:
"We requested a second participant from the beginning, because we believe that this place in the European Rugby tournament belonged to Georgia with its own authority and positioning.
“Many thanks to Rugby Europe, who evaluated us as an advanced rugby nation and a leader among Europe, and despite the fact that many other teams wanted to participate in the Rugby Europe Super Cup, they chose the current Champions of Georgia.”
“This is a great prestige of Georgian rugby and for the club itself -participation in European Cups is very important. I am sure that RC Batumi will compete with dignity in this tournament, and I congratulate the people of Batumi on this recognition".
