Vakh Abdaladze
Vakhtang Abdaladze | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1996 Kutaisi, Georgia |
| Occupation | Professional rugby union player |
| Known for | Rugby union tighthead prop for Brive and Georgia national team |
Vakhtang Abdaladze (born 6 February 1996) is a professional rugby union athlete who plays as a tighthead prop. He is currently signed with Brive competing in the Pro D2. Originally from Georgia but raised in Ireland, Abdaladze represented the Ireland U-20 side before making his senior international debut for Georgia in 2022.
Early life
Abdaladze was born in Kutaisi, Georgia and relocated to Ireland at the age of five, where he grew up in Blanchardstown, Dublin. While he initially concentrated on football, he began playing rugby at 12 years old with Coolmine RFC, starting out as a centre. His early rugby development was influenced by his father Nick, a former Georgian number 8 and youth coach at Coolmine for under-17 players.
Following a move to Clontarf F.C., coaches identified his potential in the front row and shifted him to the prop position.
Leinster Rugby
After not securing an academy place immediately after school, Abdaladze combined full-time studies at Dublin City University with participation in Leinster’s sub-academy. His strong showings for Clontarf in the AIL earned him a late call-up to Leinster’s academy midway through the 2017–18 season, approaching his 22nd birthday. Within weeks, he made his senior debut for Leinster and was awarded his first senior contract before the 2018–19 season, having spent less than a year in the academy. He scored a try against Zebre during only his second senior appearance for the province.
Ireland
Although Abdaladze did not feature for the Ireland U-20s during the 2016 Six Nations Under 20s Championship, he was later selected for Ireland’s squad at the 2016 World Rugby Under 20 Championship. Ireland achieved their best-ever finish by reaching the final, where they were defeated by the England U-20s. During this tournament, Abdaladze played a role in Ireland’s landmark first victory over the New Zealand U-20s.
Georgia
Abdaladze earned his first cap for the senior Georgia side on 6 November 2022, coming off the bench against Uruguay during the 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals.