The Australia U20s know they have to be at their physical best if they are to nullify the threat of a confident Georgian pack.
Australia will play Georgia for the first time at the U20s level at the World Championships in Cape Town to begin their tournament.
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Georgia's 45-17 win over U20 Six Nations champions England a fortnight ago has Australia U20s coach Nathan Grey refusing to look past the Georgians as they look to improve on last year's fifth-place finish.
“They played in the tournament last year and were very strong and had games against France and England so we’ve seen a bit of them," he said.
“Their set piece is very good and they’ve got some good quality across their backs."
“They’re going to be physical and it’s going to be tough up front so it’s massive that we play a platform for our backs to play off," captain Toby Macpherson added.
“Being able to compete and then transition if we do lose a bit of ball, we know we have to work hard and take the ball away from their strengths which is their pack.
“It’s going to be tough but I think the forward pack we’ve got is keen and we’re looking forward to it.”
Grey has called Brumby Kadin Pritchard into the starting side after missing the Rugby Championship, with the Queensland-bred talent linking up with fellow Brumby Jarrad McLeod in the centres.
“He’s a very good athlete around his movement and he’s good in the air and a sound deadener so he ticks a lot of boxes," he said.
“His combination with Jarrah (McLeod) has been really good at training and looking forward to see how that goes on the field.”
The Australians are coming off a fourth-place finish at the U20s Rugby Championship, which saw them in prime position to take out the title before a last-quarter surge from the Kiwis flipped the title and handed the baby All Blacks the title.
“All those games play a part in the mentality coming into a World Cup like this and obviously that New Zealand game was one we’d love to go back but the guys are keen to have a crack again and start the tournament fresh," Macpherson added.
