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id="mw-content-subtitle"><span class="mw-redirectedfrom">(Redirected from <a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia_(country)&redirect=no" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in Georgia (country)">Rugby union in Georgia (country)</a>)</span></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox" style="width:22em;"><tbody><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-above">Rugby union in Georgia</th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Georgia_vs_Romania_2011_RWC_(3).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Georgia_vs_Romania_2011_RWC_%283%29.jpg/300px-Georgia_vs_Romania_2011_RWC_%283%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="300" height="200" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Georgia_vs_Romania_2011_RWC_%283%29.jpg/450px-Georgia_vs_Romania_2011_RWC_%283%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Georgia_vs_Romania_2011_RWC_%283%29.jpg/600px-Georgia_vs_Romania_2011_RWC_%283%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4592" data-file-height="3056" /></a></span><div class="infobox-caption"><a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_union_team" title="Georgia national rugby union team">Georgia</a> vs. <a href="/wiki/Romania_national_rugby_union_team" title="Romania national rugby union team">Romania</a> in the <a href="/wiki/Rugby_World_Cup_2011" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby World Cup 2011">Rugby World Cup 2011</a></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Country</th><td class="infobox-data">Georgia</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span class="nowrap">Governing body</span></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Georgia_Rugby_Union" class="mw-redirect" title="Georgia Rugby Union">Georgia Rugby Union</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span class="nowrap">National team(s)</span></th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_union_team" title="Georgia national rugby union team">Georgia</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Nickname(s)</th><td class="infobox-data">Lelos</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span class="nowrap">First played</span></th><td class="infobox-data">1928</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><span class="nowrap">Registered players</span></th><td class="infobox-data">9,400<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Clubs</th><td class="infobox-data">68</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header"><div style="border-bottom:1px solid lightgray;">National competitions</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><div style="text-align:left;"> <a href="/wiki/Rugby_World_Cup" title="Rugby World Cup">Rugby World Cup</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Rugby_World_Cup_Sevens" title="Rugby World Cup Sevens">Rugby World Cup Sevens</a><br /><a href="/wiki/SVNS" title="SVNS">SVNS</a><br /><a href="/wiki/Rugby_Europe_International_Championships" title="Rugby Europe International Championships"> Rugby Europe Championship</a></div></td></tr><tr><th colspan="2" class="infobox-header"><div style="border-bottom:1px solid lightgray;">Club competitions</div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><div style="text-align:left;"> <a href="/wiki/Didi_10" title="Didi 10">Didi 10</a> <br /> <a href="/w/index.php?title=Georgian_First_League&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Georgian First League (page does not exist)">Georgian First League</a> <br /> Regional League West <br /> Regional League East - 1st group<br /> Regional League East - 2nd group <br /> <a href="/wiki/Georgia_Cup" title="Georgia Cup">Georgia Cup</a></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Rugby union in Georgia</b> is a popular team sport. <a href="/wiki/Rugby_union" title="Rugby union">Rugby union</a> is considered one of the most popular sports in <a href="/wiki/Georgia_(country)" title="Georgia (country)">Georgia</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Governing_body">Governing body</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Governing body"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The governing body for rugby union in Georgia is the <a href="/wiki/Georgia_Rugby_Union" class="mw-redirect" title="Georgia Rugby Union">Georgia Rugby Union</a>. It was founded in 1961 (as a domestic body) and became an official affiliate to the <a href="/wiki/International_Rugby_Board" class="mw-redirect" title="International Rugby Board">International Rugby Board</a> (IRB) in 1992.<sup id="cite_ref-Completerugby_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Completerugby-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Prehistory">Prehistory</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Prehistory"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Like some other rugby playing nations, the popularity of the game in Georgia can be traced back to a pre-existing Georgian folk sport, called <i><a href="/wiki/Lelo_Burti" class="mw-redirect" title="Lelo Burti">lelo</a></i> or <i><a href="/wiki/Lelo_Burti" class="mw-redirect" title="Lelo Burti">Lelo Burti</a></i> (meaning literally in <a href="/wiki/Georgian_language" title="Georgian language">Georgian</a> "Field Ball"), which is a full contact ball game, and very similar to rugby.<sup id="cite_ref-Completerugby_2-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Completerugby-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-richards1_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-richards1-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In fact, even within Georgian rugby terminology, the word <i>lelo</i> is used to mean a try. </p><p>Lelo was played in Georgia from ancient times and is still played on occasions in rural areas. A field ("Lelo") was selected between two river creeks which represented a playing ground. Two teams, usually consisting of the male population of neighboring villages, would face each other, with the local priest acting as the referee. The number of players from each side was not set, but included any able men each village could summon. A large, heavy ball was placed in the middle of the field and the goal of the game was to carry it over the river creek of the opposing side. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Soviet_period">Soviet period</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Soviet period"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_the_Soviet_Union" title="Rugby union in the Soviet Union">Rugby union in the Soviet Union</a></div> <p>During the Soviet period, the Georgians regularly had six or seven players in the <a href="/wiki/Soviet_Union_national_rugby_union_team" title="Soviet Union national rugby union team">USSR side</a>, before the break-up, as well as supplying the Soviet club champion, <a href="/wiki/Dinamo_Tbilisi" title="Dinamo Tbilisi">Dinamo Tbilisi</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Completerugby_2-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Completerugby-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Rugby has been played in Georgia since the 1930s, possibly earlier, but its first <i>official</i> test was against a touring <a href="/wiki/Zimbabwe_national_rugby_union_team" title="Zimbabwe national rugby union team">Zimbabwe</a> side.<sup id="cite_ref-Completerugby_2-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Completerugby-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>There were several unsuccessful attempts to introduce rugby into Georgia, the earliest known being in 1928, with subsequent attempts also in 1940 and in 1948. Rugby was introduced to Georgia by Jacques Haspekian, an <a href="/wiki/Armenians" title="Armenians">Armenian</a> man from <a href="/wiki/Marseille" title="Marseille">Marseille</a> in <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a> who taught the game to students in the late 1950s through to the mid-1960s, although he then subsequently returned in France. He is still alive and living in Marseille, he was interviewed on French radio on the occasion of Georgia playing France in the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The very first rugby session was held on October 15, 1959, in <a href="/wiki/Tbilisi" title="Tbilisi">Tbilisi</a>, at the racecourse, where 20 people attended the meeting. The first Georgian club formed was the GPI (Georgian Polytechnical Institute), now known as "Qochebi". </p><p>In 1961, a three team domestic competition was formed, called the Tbilisi Championship. The following year the first match between a Georgian team and a Russian team took place, with Trud Moscow defeating the Georgian club. That year Georgian clubs also went on their first tours, going to <a href="/wiki/Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic" title="Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic">Russia</a> and <a href="/wiki/Latvian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic" title="Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic">Latvia</a>. </p><p>In 1962, the first Soviet Trade-Union tournament was held. In the same year, ten new rugby teams were established in Georgia.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In 1964 the Tbilisi Rugby Section became known as the Georgia Rugby Federation. From the mid-1960s, the <a href="/wiki/Soviet_Championship_(rugby_union)" title="Soviet Championship (rugby union)">Soviet Championship</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Soviet_Cup" title="Soviet Cup">Soviet Cup</a> were introduced for competitive club competition between Soviet rugby clubs, with the first competition being held in 1966. The Georgian clubs were formed as regional selections fed by student teams. The best players would go on to make the <a href="/wiki/USSR_national_rugby_union_team" class="mw-redirect" title="USSR national rugby union team">USSR team</a>. </p><p>A Moscow team won the first Soviet Championship, though Dynamo from Tbilisi came in second place. In 1967 a French trade-union selection visited Georgia. It would not be until 1978, in the Soviet Cup (which was introduced in 1976) that a Georgian team would finish first, which was Locomotivi from Tbilisi. Georgian teams dominated the Soviet Championship and the Soviet Cup in the late 1980s with <a href="/wiki/RC_AIA_Kutaisi" class="mw-redirect" title="RC AIA Kutaisi">Kutaisi</a> winning the championship in 1987 and 1988 and <a href="/wiki/RC_AIA_Kutaisi" class="mw-redirect" title="RC AIA Kutaisi">RC AIA Kutaisi</a> winning in 1989 and 1990. In 1988 Georgia produced their <a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_sevens_team" title="Georgia national rugby sevens team">first national sevens side</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Post-independence">Post-independence</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Post-independence"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The break-up of the Soviet Union led to a civil war, which helped set back the game greatly, and the recent <a href="/wiki/2008_South_Ossetia_war" class="mw-redirect" title="2008 South Ossetia war">Russian conflict with Georgia</a> has also set it on a back foot.<sup id="cite_ref-Completerugby_2-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Completerugby-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Half of all Soviet clubs were in Georgia.<sup id="cite_ref-Richards2_5-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards2-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Georgians applied for associate membership of the IRB in 1990<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="The text near this tag may need clarification or removal of jargon. (July 2019)">clarification needed</span></a></i>]</sup>, but were turned down.<sup id="cite_ref-Richards2_5-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards2-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It took two years for the IRB to admit them in 1990<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="The text near this tag may need clarification or removal of jargon. (July 2019)">clarification needed</span></a></i>]</sup>, after consultation with the Soviet Federation.<sup id="cite_ref-Richards2_5-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards2-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The following year<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="margin-left:0.1em; white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify" title="Wikipedia:Please clarify"><span title="The text near this tag may need clarification or removal of jargon. (July 2019)">clarification needed</span></a></i>]</sup>, Georgia played their first international match, against <a href="/wiki/Zimbabwe_national_rugby_union_team" title="Zimbabwe national rugby union team">Zimbabwe</a>, and won 16 to 3. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia formed their own national team (though a <a href="/wiki/CIS_(rugby)" class="mw-redirect" title="CIS (rugby)">CIS</a> team played in the early 1990s) and applied for <a href="/wiki/International_Rugby_Board" class="mw-redirect" title="International Rugby Board">International Rugby Football Board</a> (now, International Rugby Board) membership. In 1993 the IRFB accepted Georgia as a federation member, making them the 52nd member. </p><p>In 1997, New Zealand coach Ross Meurant found the national team had only two practice balls, when he went to advise the Georgia Under-19 squad.<sup id="cite_ref-Richards2_5-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards2-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This was typical of the lack of resources that the Georgians faced. Meurant said that the tackle bags that they were using were improvised: </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>They were of denim material, obviously stitched together on a domestic sewing machine and stuffed with rubber.</p><div class="templatequotecite">— <cite><sup id="cite_ref-Richards2_5-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards2-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></cite></div></blockquote> <p>The wife of another coach had stayed up half the night making them.<sup id="cite_ref-Richards2_5-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards2-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This was not atypical. In the early 1990s, the Georgians had converted old Soviet era tractors into <a href="/wiki/Scrum_machine" title="Scrum machine">scrum machines</a>. </p><p>In 1994 the Gumari were formed, being the Georgian Barbarians, and they went on to tour France. The following year saw the inauguration of the Sini competition. Their 1998 loss to <a href="/wiki/Romania_national_rugby_union_team" title="Romania national rugby union team">Romania</a> saw Georgia face <a href="/wiki/Tonga_national_rugby_union_team" title="Tonga national rugby union team">Tonga</a> in a <a href="/wiki/Repechage" title="Repechage">repechage match</a> to enter the <a href="/wiki/1999_Rugby_World_Cup" title="1999 Rugby World Cup">1999 Rugby World Cup</a> in <a href="/wiki/Wales" title="Wales">Wales</a>. Georgia lost and thus did not make it to the World Cup. Though in 2001 they won the <a href="/wiki/European_Nations_Cup_(rugby_union)" class="mw-redirect" title="European Nations Cup (rugby union)">European Nations Cup</a>, and became the 7th highest ranked team in Europe. They subsequently got through the qualifying stages for the next World Cup, and made it to Australia for the <a href="/wiki/2003_Rugby_World_Cup" title="2003 Rugby World Cup">2003 Rugby World Cup</a>. They also qualified for the 2007 World Cup and went on to win their first World Cup match. </p><p>Crowds as large as 10–15,000 regularly attend local derbies in <a href="/wiki/Tbilisi" title="Tbilisi">Tbilisi</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Completerugby_2-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Completerugby-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>As Georgia is a member of the <a href="/wiki/Council_of_Europe" title="Council of Europe">Council of Europe</a>, this gives Georgians employment rights within <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>, and many Georgian players are now based there.<sup id="cite_ref-Richards3_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards3-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For example, in the qualifiers for the <a href="/wiki/2007_Rugby_World_Cup" title="2007 Rugby World Cup">2007 Rugby World Cup</a> against <a href="/wiki/Ireland_national_rugby_union_team" title="Ireland national rugby union team">Ireland</a>, 18 of 25 players on the squad were based in France.<sup id="cite_ref-Richards3_6-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards3-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Notable players include <a href="/wiki/Giorgi_Shkinin" title="Giorgi Shkinin">Giorgi Shkinin</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-Richards3_6-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards3-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and captain <a href="/wiki/Ilia_Zedginidze" title="Ilia Zedginidze">Ilia Zedginidze</a> who was considered something of a <i><a href="/wiki/Polymath" title="Polymath">Renaissance Man</a></i> in World Cup rugby as a talented international lawyer with the ability to speak several languages fluently.<sup id="cite_ref-Richards4_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Richards4-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Competitions">Competitions</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Competitions"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Georgia_Championship" class="mw-redirect" title="Georgia Championship">Georgia Championship</a> and <a href="/wiki/Georgia_Cup" title="Georgia Cup">Georgia Cup</a> are the domestic rugby union club competitions in Georgia. Since most of the Georgian internationals play in <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>, its quality level does not match the popularity of rugby union across the country. A combination domestic side, <a href="/wiki/The_Black_Lion" class="mw-redirect" title="The Black Lion">The Black Lion</a>, owned by the Georgian Rugby Union, was created to take part in international club competition. Originally entered into the European third tier <a href="/wiki/Rugby_Europe_Super_Cup" title="Rugby Europe Super Cup">Rugby Europe Super Cup</a>, they are two time winners. The team were invited to take part in South Africa's traditional provincial competition, the <a href="/wiki/Currie_Cup" title="Currie Cup">Currie Cup</a> in 2022, before finally being admitted to the main competition system in Europe, invited to take part in the <a href="/wiki/2023-24_EPCR_Challenge_Cup" class="mw-redirect" title="2023-24 EPCR Challenge Cup">2023-24 EPCR Challenge Cup</a>, the second tier continental competition. </p> <table class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"> <caption> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>Level </th> <th colspan="3"><b>League(s)/Division(s)</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td>1 </td> <td colspan="3"><b><a href="/wiki/Didi_10" title="Didi 10">Didi 10</a></b> <p>(10 teams) </p> </td></tr> <tr> <td>2 </td> <td colspan="3"><b><a href="/w/index.php?title=Georgian_First_League&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Georgian First League (page does not exist)">First League</a></b> <p>(10 teams) </p> </td></tr> <tr> <td>2 </td> <td><b>Regional League West</b> <p>(6 teams) </p> </td> <td><b>Regional League East - 1st group</b> <p>(7 teams) </p> </td> <td><b>Regional League East - 2nd group</b> <p>(6 teams) </p> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Popularity">Popularity</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Popularity"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Rugby union is one of the most popular sports in Georgia. Rugby is especially popular in the south of the country where the game is more popular than <a href="/wiki/Association_football" title="Association football">association football</a>. The popularity of rugby union largely took off after the Georgia Rugby Union's inception into the <a href="/wiki/International_Rugby_Board" class="mw-redirect" title="International Rugby Board">IRB</a>. This has seen rugby union become a major spectator sport. There are currently 2866 registered male players in Georgia according to the International Rugby Board. When Georgia played <a href="/wiki/Russia_national_rugby_union_team" title="Russia national rugby union team">Russia</a> in the <a href="/wiki/European_Nations_Cup_(rugby_union)" class="mw-redirect" title="European Nations Cup (rugby union)">European Nations Cup</a>, 65,000 people crammed into the national stadium in <a href="/wiki/Tbilisi" title="Tbilisi">Tbilisi</a> and another 44,000 watched Georgia beat Russia 17–13. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="National_team">National team</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: National team"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_union_team" title="Georgia national rugby union team">Georgia national rugby union team</a></div> <p>The Lelos (as they are nicknamed) are the national rugby union team of Georgia. The team's name comes from <a href="/wiki/Lelo_Burti" class="mw-redirect" title="Lelo Burti">lelo</a>, an indigenous Georgian <a href="/wiki/Sport" title="Sport">sport</a> with strong similarities to <a href="/wiki/Rugby_union" title="Rugby union">rugby</a>. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try". One standard cheer of Georgian rugby union fans is <i>Lelo, Lelo, Sakartvelo</i> (Try, Try, Georgia). The Lelos participate in the <a href="/wiki/European_Nations_Cup_(rugby_union)" class="mw-redirect" title="European Nations Cup (rugby union)">European Nations Cup</a>, which is a second-level competition for European national teams. The majority of the national side are based in <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>, in the lower divisions, having been sent there to improve their rugby skills and facilitate their development by coach <a href="/wiki/Claude_Saurel" title="Claude Saurel">Claude Saurel</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="World_Cup">World Cup</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: World Cup"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Georgia_at_the_Rugby_World_Cup" title="Georgia at the Rugby World Cup">Georgia at the Rugby World Cup</a></div> <figure class="mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Ireland_vs_Georgia,_Rugby_World_Cup_2007_line_up.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Ireland_vs_Georgia%2C_Rugby_World_Cup_2007_line_up.jpg/220px-Ireland_vs_Georgia%2C_Rugby_World_Cup_2007_line_up.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Ireland_vs_Georgia%2C_Rugby_World_Cup_2007_line_up.jpg/330px-Ireland_vs_Georgia%2C_Rugby_World_Cup_2007_line_up.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Ireland_vs_Georgia%2C_Rugby_World_Cup_2007_line_up.jpg/440px-Ireland_vs_Georgia%2C_Rugby_World_Cup_2007_line_up.jpg 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="535" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Ireland_national_rugby_union_team" title="Ireland national rugby union team">Ireland</a> playing <a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_union_team" title="Georgia national rugby union team">Georgia</a> in the <a href="/wiki/2007_Rugby_World_Cup" title="2007 Rugby World Cup">2007 Rugby World Cup</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>Prior to the <a href="/wiki/2003_Rugby_World_Cup" title="2003 Rugby World Cup">2003 Rugby World Cup</a>, <a href="/wiki/Georgia_(country)" title="Georgia (country)">Georgia</a> had failed to qualify for any previous tournaments, despite coming close in 1999 after losing a two legged <a href="/wiki/Repechage" title="Repechage">repechage</a> play-off against <a href="/wiki/Tonga" title="Tonga">Tonga</a>. On that occasion Georgia lost the first leg 37–6 in <a href="/wiki/Nuku%CA%BBalofa" title="Nukuʻalofa">Nukuʻalofa</a> before recording a 28–27 win in <a href="/wiki/Tbilisi" title="Tbilisi">Tbilisi</a>. Georgia then bounced back to defeat <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a> 17–13 to qualify for the subsequent <a href="/wiki/2003_Rugby_World_Cup" title="2003 Rugby World Cup">2003 Rugby World Cup</a>. They lost all four of their matches but impressed against <a href="/wiki/South_Africa" title="South Africa">South Africa</a>. Despite the poor financial state of the <a href="/wiki/Georgia_Rugby_Union" class="mw-redirect" title="Georgia Rugby Union">Georgia Rugby Union</a>, qualification has seen the sport's profile enjoy a huge rise in popularity throughout Georgia. Their best performance was in <a href="/wiki/2015_Rugby_World_Cup" title="2015 Rugby World Cup">2015 tournament</a>, when they were drawn against eventual world champions <a href="/wiki/New_Zealand_national_rugby_union_team" title="New Zealand national rugby union team">New Zealand</a>, Argentina, <a href="/wiki/Tonga_national_rugby_union_team" title="Tonga national rugby union team">Tonga</a> and Namibia. Georgia won games against <a href="/wiki/Tonga_national_rugby_union_team" title="Tonga national rugby union team">Tonga</a> and Namibia, finished third in the group and automatically qualified for <a href="/wiki/2019_Rugby_World_Cup" title="2019 Rugby World Cup">2019 Rugby World Cup</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="European_Nations_Cup">European Nations Cup</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: European Nations Cup"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/European_Nations_Cup_(rugby_union)" class="mw-redirect" title="European Nations Cup (rugby union)">European Nations Cup</a> is a second-level competition for tier-two European nations. Initially started as a one-year competition, the championship is now decided over two years with each team playing each other on a home and away basis. Georgia have won the competition on eight occasions, in 2001, 2008-9 and 2011–15. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_Antim_Cup">The Antim Cup</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: The Antim Cup"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The <a href="/wiki/Antim_Cup" title="Antim Cup">Antim Cup</a> is contested between Georgia and Romania. The cup is contested each time Georgia and Romania meet in a senior international match other than World Cup matches or qualifiers. The holder retains the cup unless the challenger wins the match in normal time. It is named after the Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan <a href="/wiki/Antim_Iverianul" class="mw-redirect" title="Antim Iverianul">Antim Iverianul</a>, who came from Georgia. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1237033735">@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox{display:none!important}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sistersitebox img[src*="Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg"]{background-color:white}}</style><div class="side-box side-box-right plainlinks sistersitebox"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-image"><span class="noviewer" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/45px-Commons-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/59px-Commons-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="1376" /></span></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist">Wikimedia Commons has media related to <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Rugby_union_in_Georgia_(country)" class="extiw" title="commons:Category:Rugby union in Georgia (country)">Rugby union in Georgia (country)</a></span>.</div></div> </div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_Rugby_Union" class="mw-redirect" title="Georgia Rugby Union">Georgia Rugby Union</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_at_the_Rugby_World_Cup" title="Georgia at the Rugby World Cup">Georgia at the Rugby World Cup</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_union_team" title="Georgia national rugby union team">Georgia national rugby union team</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_A_national_rugby_union_team" class="mw-redirect" title="Georgia A national rugby union team">Georgia A national rugby union team</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tbilisi_Caucasians" title="Tbilisi Caucasians">Tbilisi Caucasians</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_league_in_Georgia" title="Rugby league in Georgia">Rugby league in Georgia</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li>Bath, Richard (ed.) <i>The Complete Book of Rugby</i> (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-86200-013-1" title="Special:BookSources/1-86200-013-1">1-86200-013-1</a>)</li> <li>Louis, Victor & Jennifer <i>Sport in the Soviet Union</i> (Oxford Pergamon, 1980, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-08-024506-4" title="Special:BookSources/0-08-024506-4">0-08-024506-4</a>)</li> <li>Richards, Huw <i>A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union</i> (<a href="/wiki/Mainstream_Publishing" title="Mainstream Publishing">Mainstream Publishing</a>, <a href="/wiki/Edinburgh" title="Edinburgh">Edinburgh</a>, 2007, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84596-255-5" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-84596-255-5">978-1-84596-255-5</a>)</li></ul> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://resources.world.rugby/worldrugby/document/2020/07/28/212ed9cf-cd61-4fa3-b9d4-9f0d5fb61116/P56-57-Participation-Map_v3.pdf">"GLOBAL PARTICIPATION IN RUGBY"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2019-03-05</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=GLOBAL+PARTICIPATION+IN+RUGBY&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fresources.world.rugby%2Fworldrugby%2Fdocument%2F2020%2F07%2F28%2F212ed9cf-cd61-4fa3-b9d4-9f0d5fb61116%2FP56-57-Participation-Map_v3.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ARugby+union+in+Georgia" class="Z3988"></span><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"><span title=" Dead link tagged September 2023">dead link</span></a></i><span style="visibility:hidden; color:transparent; padding-left:2px">‍</span>]</span></sup></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Completerugby-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Completerugby_2-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Completerugby_2-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Completerugby_2-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Completerugby_2-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Completerugby_2-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Completerugby_2-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Bath p67</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-richards1-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-richards1_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richards Chapter 1 <i>Fons et Origo</i>, p27; Chapter 15 <i>Going Forward</i>, p291</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Louis, p39</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Richards2-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Richards2_5-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Richards2_5-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Richards2_5-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Richards2_5-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Richards2_5-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Richards2_5-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Richards, Chapter 14 <i>Journeys without Maps</i>, p260</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Richards3-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Richards3_6-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Richards3_6-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Richards3_6-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Richards, Chapter 14 <i>Journeys without Maps</i>, p270</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Richards4-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Richards4_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richards, Chapter 14 Journeys without Maps, p271</span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Georgia&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><span class="languageicon">(in Georgian)</span> </p> <ul><li><span class="languageicon">(in Georgian)</span> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rugby.ge/">Georgia Rugby Union</a> (official site)</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.chez.com/gru">Unofficial Georgian rugby union webpage</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060614020309/http://www.planet-rugby.com/Teams/Georgia/index.shtml">Georgian rugby union news from Planet Rugby</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/115757-hello-rugby-fans-im-from-georgia">Georgia on the Rise in International Rugby</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110715234401/http://rugbyshops.ru/gruzia/">Exclusive attributes of Georgia Rugby</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist 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.navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Rugby_union_in_Georgia" title="Template:Rugby union in Georgia"><abbr title="View this template" style="color:#850547">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Rugby_union_in_Georgia" title="Template talk:Rugby union in Georgia"><abbr title="Discuss this template" style="color:#850547">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Rugby_union_in_Georgia" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Rugby union in Georgia"><abbr title="Edit this template" style="color:#850547">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Rugby_union_in_Georgia" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a class="mw-selflink selflink"><span style="color:#850547">Rugby union in Georgia</span></a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FFFFFF; color:#850547; box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0 #850547, inset -1px -1px 0 #850547;;;width:1%">Governing body</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Georgian_Rugby_Union" title="Georgian Rugby Union">Georgian Rugby Union</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FFFFFF; color:#850547; box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0 #850547, inset -1px -1px 0 #850547;;;width:1%">National teams</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_union_team" title="Georgia national rugby union team">Georgia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_A_national_rugby_union_team" class="mw-redirect" title="Georgia A national rugby union team">A</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Georgia_women%27s_national_rugby_union_team&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Georgia women's national rugby union team (page does not exist)">Women`s</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_under-20_rugby_union_team" title="Georgia national under-20 rugby union team">U20</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_under-18_rugby_union_team" title="Georgia national under-18 rugby union team">U18</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_sevens_team" title="Georgia national rugby sevens team">7s</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Georgia_national_rugby_sevens_team" title="Georgia national rugby sevens team">Women`s 7s</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FFFFFF; color:#850547; box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0 #850547, inset -1px -1px 0 #850547;;;width:1%">Competitions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"></div><table class="nowraplinks navbox-subgroup" style="border-spacing:0"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FFFFFF; color:#850547; box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0 #850547, inset -1px -1px 0 #850547;;;width:1%">International</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_World_Cup" title="Rugby World Cup">Rugby World Cup</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Rugby_Tbilisi_Cup" title="World Rugby Tbilisi Cup">Tbilisi Cup</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/World_Rugby_U20_Championship" title="World Rugby U20 Championship">World Rugby U20 Championship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/European_Nations_Cup_(rugby_union)" class="mw-redirect" title="European Nations Cup (rugby union)">Rugby Europe Championship</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_Europe_Sevens" title="Rugby Europe Sevens">Rugby Europe Sevens Championship Series</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FFFFFF; color:#850547; box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0 #850547, inset -1px -1px 0 #850547;;;width:1%">Professional Club Competitions</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_Europe_Super_Cup" title="Rugby Europe Super Cup">Rugby Europe Super Cup</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Didi_10" title="Didi 10">Didi 10</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/EPCR_Challenge_Cup" title="EPCR Challenge Cup">EPCR Challenge Cup</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FFFFFF; color:#850547; box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0 #850547, inset -1px -1px 0 #850547;;;width:1%">Stadiums</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Boris_Paichadze_Stadium" class="mw-redirect" title="Boris Paichadze Stadium">Boris Paichadze Stadium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mikheil_Meskhi_Stadium" title="Mikheil Meskhi Stadium">Mikheil Meskhi Stadium</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="background:#FFFFFF; color:#850547; box-shadow: inset 1px 1px 0 #850547, inset -1px -1px 0 #850547;;;width:1%">Related articles</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Lelo_burti" title="Lelo burti">Lelo burti</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Antim_Cup" title="Antim Cup">Antim Cup</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/The_Black_Lion" class="mw-redirect" title="The Black Lion">The Black Lion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tbilisi_Caucasians" title="Tbilisi Caucasians">Tbilisi Caucasians</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/CIS_(rugby)" class="mw-redirect" title="CIS (rugby)">CIS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_the_Soviet_Union" title="Rugby union in the Soviet Union">Rugby union in the Soviet Union</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Soviet_Union_national_rugby_union_team" title="Soviet Union national rugby union team">USSR national rugby union team</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Soviet_Championship_(rugby_union)" title="Soviet Championship (rugby union)">Soviet Championship</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Soviet_Cup_(rugby)" class="mw-redirect" title="Soviet Cup (rugby)">Soviet Cup</a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="Rugby_union_in_Europe" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Rugby_union_in_Europe" title="Template:Rugby union in Europe"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Rugby_union_in_Europe" title="Template talk:Rugby union in Europe"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Rugby_union_in_Europe" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Rugby union in Europe"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Rugby_union_in_Europe" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Europe" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in Europe">Rugby union in Europe </a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Sovereign states</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Albania" title="Rugby union in Albania">Albania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Andorra" title="Rugby union in Andorra">Andorra</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Armenia" title="Rugby union in Armenia">Armenia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Austria" title="Rugby union in Austria">Austria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Azerbaijan" title="Rugby union in Azerbaijan">Azerbaijan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Belarus" title="Rugby union in Belarus">Belarus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Belgium" title="Rugby union in Belgium">Belgium</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina" title="Rugby union in Bosnia and Herzegovina">Bosnia and Herzegovina</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Bulgaria" title="Rugby union in Bulgaria">Bulgaria</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Croatia" title="Rugby union in Croatia">Croatia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Cyprus" title="Rugby union in Cyprus">Cyprus</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_the_Czech_Republic" title="Rugby union in the Czech Republic">Czech Republic</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Denmark" title="Rugby union in Denmark">Denmark</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Estonia" title="Rugby union in Estonia">Estonia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Finland" title="Rugby union in Finland">Finland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_France" title="Rugby union in France">France</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Georgia_(country)" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in Georgia (country)">Georgia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Germany" title="Rugby union in Germany">Germany</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Greece" title="Rugby union in Greece">Greece</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Hungary" title="Rugby union in Hungary">Hungary</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Iceland" title="Rugby union in Iceland">Iceland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Ireland" title="Rugby union in Ireland">Ireland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Israel" title="Rugby union in Israel">Israel</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Italy" title="Rugby union in Italy">Italy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Kazakhstan" title="Rugby union in Kazakhstan">Kazakhstan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Latvia" title="Rugby union in Latvia">Latvia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Liechtenstein" title="Rugby union in Liechtenstein">Liechtenstein</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Lithuania" title="Rugby union in Lithuania">Lithuania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Luxembourg" title="Rugby union in Luxembourg">Luxembourg</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Malta" title="Rugby union in Malta">Malta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Moldova" title="Rugby union in Moldova">Moldova</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Monaco" title="Rugby union in Monaco">Monaco</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Montenegro" title="Rugby union in Montenegro">Montenegro</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_the_Netherlands" title="Rugby union in the Netherlands">Netherlands</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_North_Macedonia&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Rugby union in North Macedonia (page does not exist)">North Macedonia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Norway" title="Rugby union in Norway">Norway</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Poland" title="Rugby union in Poland">Poland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Portugal" title="Rugby union in Portugal">Portugal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Romania" title="Rugby union in Romania">Romania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Russia" title="Rugby union in Russia">Russia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_San_Marino" title="Rugby union in San Marino">San Marino</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Serbia" title="Rugby union in Serbia">Serbia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Slovakia" title="Rugby union in Slovakia">Slovakia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Slovenia" title="Rugby union in Slovenia">Slovenia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Spain" title="Rugby union in Spain">Spain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Sweden" title="Rugby union in Sweden">Sweden</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Switzerland" title="Rugby union in Switzerland">Switzerland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Turkey" title="Rugby union in Turkey">Turkey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Ukraine" title="Rugby union in Ukraine">Ukraine</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_the_United_Kingdom" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in the United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_England" title="Rugby union in England">England</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Scotland" title="Rugby union in Scotland">Scotland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Wales" title="Rugby union in Wales">Wales</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">States with limited<br />recognition</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Abkhazia&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Rugby union in Abkhazia (page does not exist)">Abkhazia</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Kosovo" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in Kosovo">Kosovo</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Northern_Cyprus" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in Northern Cyprus">Northern Cyprus</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_South_Ossetia&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Rugby union in South Ossetia (page does not exist)">South Ossetia</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_Transnistria&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Rugby union in Transnistria (page does not exist)">Transnistria</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Dependencies and<br />other entities</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_%C3%85land" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in Åland">Åland</a></li> <li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Rugby_union_in_the_Faroe_Islands&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Rugby union in the Faroe Islands (page does not exist)">Faroe Islands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Gibraltar" title="Rugby union in Gibraltar">Gibraltar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Guernsey" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in Guernsey">Guernsey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_the_Isle_of_Man" title="Rugby union in the Isle of Man">Isle of Man</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Jersey" title="Rugby union in Jersey">Jersey</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rugby_union_in_Svalbard" class="mw-redirect" title="Rugby union in Svalbard">Svalbard</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a 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