Georgia national rugby union team

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Georgia
Union	Georgian Rugby Union
Nickname(s)	Lelos
Coach	Malkhaz Cheishvili
Captain	Ilia Zedguinidze
Team colours
First international
Zimbabwe 3 - 16 Georgia (12 September 1989)
Largest win
Netherlands 0 - 88 Georgia (3 February 2002)
Worst defeat
England 84 - 6 Georgia (12 October 2003)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (First in 2003)
Best result	Zero wins, 2003

The Georgia national rugby union team represents the former Soviet Caucasian republic of Georgia in rugby union. The team's nickname, The Lelos, comes from lelo, an indigenous Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try" (the highest-valued score in rugby). One standard cheer of Georgian rugby union fans is Lelo, Lelo, Sakartvelo (Try, Try, Georgia).

Georgia is currently considered a third tier rugby union nation. The Lelos participate in the European Nations Cup, which is a second-level competition for European national teams. Famously the Georgians, lacking the resources of the major nations, made scrum machines from old Soviet tractors. There are only eight rugby pitches and three hundred adult players. The bulk of the national squad are based in France, in the lower divisions, having been sent there to improve their rugby skills and facilitate their development by coach Claude Saurel.

Rugby union is one of the most popular sports in Georgia. The Georgian national sevens team became the first national side from Georgia to compete in a major tournament, playing in the IRB Sevens World Cup in Argentina. However, the full national team would go onto qualify for the 2003 Rugby World Cup - playing against rugby powers such as South Africa and England. In 2006 the Lelos qualified for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, they beat Portugal in Play off 28-14

Contents 1 History 1.1 Soviet era 1.2 The 1990s 1.3 The 2000s 1.4 The World Cup years 2 Record 2.1 ENC 2.2 World Cup 3 Current squad 3.1 Forwards 3.2 Backs 4 Famous players 5 See also 6 Sources 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Soviet era

There were unsuccessful attempts to introduce rugby union into Georgia in 1928 and also in 1940 and in 1948. It is thought that rugby was introduced to Georgia by Jacques Haspekian, a man from Marseille in France who taught the game to students in the late 1950s through to the mid 1960s.

The Georgia Rugby Union was founded in 1964, but until the late 1980s it was part of the Soviet Union's rugby federation. The rugby union connection between France and Georgia started as links were established by the then powerful French Communist Party and many other left-wing organisations. Georgia initially did not have its own team and its best players would play for the USSR team.

In 1988 Georgia produced their first national sevens side. In September 1989, Georgia got together with other FIRA countries to host a tour by Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's first match on the tour was in the wet against Georgia in Kutaisi, west of Tbilisi, which Georgia won 16-3. The next year Georgia went to Zimbabwe where they played two tests, losing the first in Bulawayo and winning the second 26-10 in Harare.

[edit] The 1990s

On April 9, 1991 Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union. Georgia was now a rugby union nation but getting matches was not easy, the old Soviet team continued under the name Commonwealth of Independent States. Georgia were limited to the odd game against Ukraine until they gained membership of the IRB in 1992.

French coach, Claude Saurel, first arrived in Georgia in 1997 with a brief to assess the standard of sport; he and his development team have helped boost the profile of the sport to the extent that it is now considered the country's most popular team sport, even ahead of football. Saurel went on to work with the Rugby Sevens team, until he was appointed as the national coach in the summer of 1999.

Georgia's 1998 loss to Romania saw them play a two legged repechage play-off against Tonga to qualify for the 1999 World Cup. On that occasion Georgia lost the first leg 37-6 in Nuku’Alofa before a 28-27 win in Tbilisi. This was not enough and Georgia failed to qualify.

[edit] The 2000s

During the European Nations Cup tournament of 2000, Georgia finished second in the competition, finishing behind Romania. The following year, Georgia improved upon this, winning all five of their matches during the 2000/1 tournament, and thus finishing at the top of the table. They clinched the title by beating Romania away 31-20 on the final day.

Georgian first made an impact at Rugby Sevens by finishing a respectable 10th in the 2001 edition of the Sevens World Cup in Argentina. Rugby union took off in the country, the travel and opportunities to land lucrative contracts in France made rugby union a glamorous pursuit in Georgia. Georgia placed second in the 2001-2002 tournament. When Georgia played Russia in the European Nations Cup 65,000 people crammed into the national stadium in Tbilisi.

[edit] The World Cup years

The two nations would contest another match at the same venue in October of 2002, in what was at the time one of the most important clashes ever between the two national sides. The victorious nation would head to the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and the loser would be relegated to fight it out for a repechage position. Neither nation had ever been to a World Cup, though Georgia had come close in 1999. 45,000 turned out to the national stadium, with another one and a half million Georgians watching it on national television. Both nations kicked penalty goals in the first half, but Russia moved ahead with a 13 to 9 lead through a Konstantin Rachkov try, but Georgia were able to score a try of their own just before half time, with Levan Tsabadze putting them in front 14-13 at the break. Georgia held on, winning 17-13, a victory which sparked celebrations throughout the capital.^[1]

They were grouped into pool C alongside giants - South Africa and England. Although they were comprehensively defeated by England in their opening game as well as Samoa, they performed well against the Springboks as well as Uruguay.

Three of the 75 French-based Georgian players were denied permission to play in the tournament and were suspended. Another five were sacked and arrived in Australia as free agents. In a warm-up game held in Asti the Georgians held the Italians to 31-22. They lost all four of their matches but impressed against South Africa. Despite the sad financial state of their union, qualification has seen the sport's profile rise throughout Georgia.

The Barbarians beat Georgia 28-19 in Tbilisi on the 4th June 2006 in front of some 10,000 spectators. The Barbarians led 14-7 at half-time and the Lelos pulled back to 14-all early in the second half, but the Barbarians added two more tries before the Lelos got their third just before the end. Paliko Jimsheladze, playing as a fullback, became the first Georgian to win 50 caps. In recognition of this feat he was presented with a commemorative cap by Nodar Qipiani, the first captain of a Georgian national team. After the match the Barbarians presented £10,000 for the development of rugby union in Georgia.

[edit] Record

[edit] ENC

Year(s)	GP	W	D	L	+/-	Pts	Pos
2000	4	2	0	2	125-95	8	2nd
2001	5	5	0	0	167-68	15	1st
2001-02	10	8	1	1	351-152	27	2nd
2003-04	10	5	1	4	193-148	21	3rd
2004-06	10	8	0	2	228	26	2nd

[edit] World Cup

Year(s)	Result
1987	No qualifying tournament held.
1991 to 1999	Did not qualify.
2003	Qualified. Group stages.
2007	Qualified.

[edit] Current squad

Players used in 2006

[edit] Forwards

• David Khinchagashvili Prop
• David Zirakashvili Prop
• Mamuka Magrakvelidze Prop
• Goderdzi Shvelidze Hooker
• George Kutarashvili Hooker
• Avtandil Kopaliani
• Akvsenti Guiorgadze
• Ilia Zedguinidze Lock (Captain)
• Mamuka Gorgodze Second-Row
• Levan Datunashvili Lock
• Rati Urushadze Flanker
• Ilia Maisuradze Flanker
• Guia Labadze Wing-Forward
• Besso Udesiani No.8

[edit] Backs

• Pavle Jimsheladze Arras Fly half
• Otar Barkalaia
• Besiki Khamashuridze Winger
• George Shkinin Blois Fly-half
• George Elizbarashvili Centre
• Irakli Machkhaneli Béziers Winger
• Malkhaz Urjukashvili
• Teimuraz Sokhadze Vierzon Full Back
• Irakli Giorgadze Bourgoin Centre
• Irakli Abuseridze Orleans Scrum-half
• Bidzina Samkharadze Scrum-half
• Revaz Gigauri Montlucon Centre

[edit] Famous players

• Ilia Zedguinidze
• Tedo Zibzibadze
• Malkhaz Urjukashvili
• Levan Tsabdze

[edit] See also

• Antim Cup
• Georgia at the Rugby World Cup
• European Nations Cup
• Rugby union in Georgia

[edit] Sources

• Diplomacy the key for Georgia (from BBC News)
• Georgia set for World Cup bow
• Barbarians beat Georgia in Tbilisi

[edit] References

1. ^ When Georgia’s XV came of age. rwc2003.irb.com. Retrieved on 29 November 2006.

[edit] External links

• (Georgian) Georgia Rugby Union - Official Site
• Unofficial Georgian rugby union webpage
• Georgian rugby union news from Planet Rugby
• SOS kit aid