Six New Caps Signal Growth for Netherlands Despite Defeat to Georgia

The Dutch national rugby team welcomed six new internationals on Sunday as the Oranje faced Georgia in Pool A of the Rugby Europe Championship at the National Rugby Center in Amsterdam. While the result ultimately went in favour of the visitors, the occasion marked an important milestone for Dutch rugby, underlining the continued emergence of new talent within the national setup.

Tom Boggemann, Mathijs de Wit, Jazz Drolsbach, Ilan Vaassen, Mart van der Veen and Jules Swier all earned their first international caps, a significant moment both personally and for a Netherlands side continuing to build depth and experience at test level.

Georgia, one of Europe’s established Tier 2 powerhouses, showed their class early on. Despite receiving an early yellow card, the visitors controlled territory and possession, taking a 28–5 lead into the halftime break before eventually securing a 61–12 victory. Stand-off Luka Matkava was instrumental in the win, contributing 26 points and earning Player of the Match honours.

Georgia’s tries came through scrum-half Gela Aprasidze, who crossed twice, alongside scores from back-row Luka Ivanishvili, Matkava himself, replacements Mamik Mstoian and Bachuki Tchumbadze, and centre Georges Shvelidze.

For the Netherlands, there were positives despite the scoreline. Full-back Sem Verplancke and debutant winger Jules Swier crossed for the Oranje’s tries, with Vikas Meijer adding a conversion. The match provided valuable exposure for a developing squad against one of the strongest sides in the competition.

Georgia now sit top of Pool A on ten points, while the Netherlands remain third. However, beyond the result, the introduction of six new caps reflects a national programme continuing to invest in youth and long-term growth a necessary step as Dutch rugby looks to close the gap at international level.