Georgia have held on to beat Tonga 16-15 in their Pacific Nations Cup rugby showdown in Suva.
Soso Matiashvili converted his own try in the sixth minute and kicked three penalties which gave his team a 13-3 lead at halftime and a 16-3 lead early in Saturday's second half.
Georgia had been on top through their powerful forward pack and Matiashvili's boot in the first half. But Tonga's scrum improved after halftime, helped by the fact their opponents lost two players to yellow cards in the second half.
By the final quarter, Tonga were dominating territory and possession and Georgia were clinging on.
A strong scrum and a powerful run by fullback Sione Fifita set up a 32nd-minute try for replacement Viliami Lolohea.
Tonga pressed back in attack and, with Georgia again down to 14 men, worked an overlap from a quickly tapped penalty. Five-eighth Kurt Morath's flick pass created an overlap for winger David Halaifonua to score in the left corner.
Halfback Sonatane Takulua converted to close the gap to one point, but Georgia posted their second-straight win over Tonga.
"Of course I'm really happy with my team," Georgian captain Giorgi Nemsadze said. "We know Tonga's team is a very strong, very physical team but we were ready for that ... we played with heart."
The Pacific tournament is a lead-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. Georgia face Fiji next week, while Tonga play Samoa, who still have to qualify for the global tournament through the last-chance playoffs.
Reuters
