Georgia national rugby union team
Categories: National rugby union teams | Sport in Georgia (country)
The Lelos are the national rugby union team of the former Soviet Caucasian republic of Georgia.
The team's name 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.
History
Georgia founded its own Rugby Union in 1964 despite being part of the Soviet Union. Georgia then 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.
Georgia was now a rugby union nation but getting matches was not easy. It was limited to the odd game against Ukraine until it gained membership of the IRB in 1992.
Georgian first made an impact at Rugby Sevens and as the game took off in the country, the travel and opportunities to land lucrative contracts in France made rugby union a glamorous pursuit in Georgia.
Georgia failed to qualify for the 1999 World Cup after losing a two legged repechage play-off against Tonga. On that occasion Georgia lost the first leg 37-6 in Nuku’Alofa before a 28-27 win in Tbilisi.
Georgia then bounced back by winning the 2001/2 European Nations Cup. When Georgia played Russia in the European Nations Cup 65,000 people crammed into the national stadium in Tbilisi and another 44,000 watched Gergia beat Russia 17-13 to qualify for the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup.
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.