Georgia touches down in Samoa

By Vatapuia Maiava 05 June 2016, 12:00AM

Manu Samoa’s opponents for this Saturday, Georgia, has landed and they are raring to go.

With their early morning arrival yesterday, the team had nothing but positives to say about their first few hours in the country where the players lapped up the tropical breeze and sampled some of the local cuisines.

The team received a traditional welcome from the Samoa Tourism Authority at the Airport before making their way to Tanoa Tusitala where they are staying.

Team Manager, Irakli Khundadze, said this is the first time for these players to be in the Pacific Islands.

“The team is very happy to be here because it is their first time to travel to the Pacific Islands since the end of the 1990s,” he said.

“At around that time Georgia, had to play a qualification match against Tonga for the World Cup in 1999 but since then we haven’t been back to the Pacific.

“So now we think it will be a very nice big experience for the team to be here in Samoa and to also get a good feel on the local culture as we get ready for a good game against the Manu.” According to Khundadze, Samoa’s heat will have little effect on the boys but the humidity on the other hand is something they will have to deal with.

“The temperature is very similar to this back in Georgia around the summer time,” he said.

“It gets to around 30-40 degrees there so we are actually used to the heat and it will be no problem for us during the game.

“But the humidity here is very high compared to back home so that will be the only problem because it makes it hard to breathe but I hope the boys will get used to this type of climate.”

The excitement for the upcoming match against the Manu Samoa is high and Georgians are not here on a holiday.

 “The boys are looking forward to having a good game,” Khundadze said. “There are many aspects to this game but just like any other team we are getting ourselves as ready as possible to win the game.

“We are here to have a good game and get a good experience of the country and of course a win will also make us really happy.”

Khundadze concluded by thanking everyone for the hospitality shown to him and his team.

“I want to thank the Manu Samoa, the Samoan Government and all the people for their great hospitality,” he said. “We see so much passion in the way you host visitors and you are so friendly; we absolutely love it; we would like to thank all the people of Samoa for being kind to us. “We had a really good hotel reception here at Tanoa and also our welcome at the airport was exquisite; getting to see the traditional way you welcome guests is such an honor; Thank you Samoa.”


By Vatapuia Maiava 05 June 2016, 12:00AM
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