HE LOW winter sun is beginning to set behind the Shevardeni training base in Tbilisi, but Luka Matkava is still out there kicking goals as Black Lion prepare to take on the might of Clermont in a weekend Challenge Cup fixture.
It is this sort of dedication – ground staff often find themselves locking up around him – that gives the 22-year-old fly-half the confidence to step up in pressure moments, such as the 77th-minute penalty he nailed at the Principality Stadium in November 2022 to secure Georgia’s greatest victory.
Inspired by the efforts of an effervescent bench, the Lelos roared back from having been 12-0 down on the hour to claim a 13-12 success that was one of the final nails in Wayne Pivac’s coffin as head coach of Wales.
“It’s only now that I’m beginning to understand just how important what we did that day was,” says Matkava, now firmly established as his country’s first-choice pivot after a collectively disappointing World Cup campaign where he was one
