Former Georgia rugby captain Merab Sharikadze has been given an 11-year ban for his involvement in an “orchestrated scheme involving recreational drugs and sample substitution”. Six internationals were charged in March following a joint investigation by World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) dubbed “Operation Obsidian”, which found five instances where players allegedly swapped urine samples to avoid detection. Employees of Georgia's national anti-doping agency also tipped off players about upcoming tests, Wada said. Sanctions have now been levied against the players involved and team doctor Nutsa Shamatava, who has received a nine-year suspension from the game. Sharikadze, who won 104 caps and led Georgia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup , received the longest ban of the players. The 32-year-old spent time at Hartpury College near Gloucester as a teenager.…