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THIS. IS. OUR GAME!

- The nickname Lelos comes from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian sport similar to rugby which goes back to pagan times.



- The team's emblem is called a borjgali, a symbol of the sun with seven rotating wings. As Christian symbol it means eternal movement and life.


- Georgians largest win is a 98-3 thrashing of the Czech Republic in 2007 while the biggest defeat is 84-6, at the hands of England at the 2003 World Cup.


-Georgia has a 61.53% win record - 109 from 182. That's better than Group A's Grim Reaper trio of England (57.39😵, Wales (53.83😵 and Australia (52.65😵.


- Possibly a hint that they favour forward-play...Georgia's top tryscorer of all time is giant loosie Mamuka Gorgodze who had scored 25.
He's actually fifth on their all-time points-scoring list.


- Georgia's most notable wins were against Samoa in Tbilisi in 2013 (16-15) along with another home win against Japan (35-25) last year.


- National Stadium in Tbilisi where Georgians have a formidable record going 21 straight tests without defeat between 2004 and 2012.


- Georgia have famously never lost to rivals Ukraine (9-0), Czech Republic (8-0), Germany (4-0).


- Georgians have been at war with Russia on a number of occasions but Georgia own them on the rugby field having won 17 of their 19 encounters since 1993.


- For Georgia's 23-man squad to face the All Blacks, every forward has an overseas contact, while the majority of the backs play at Georgian clubs.

We remind you that so far, Georgia has played two games at the World Cup. After the memorable victory over Tonga in the opening match (17-10), the Lelos suffered a painful defeat against Argentina (9-54)



- Georgian National Rugby Team members are known as some of the most energetic players who always perform with a certain flake of fire. As you may know, the current Rugby World Cup 2015 is being held in England and in this regard, the streets of London have been full of taxis covered with corresponding drawings. Among others, there are also famous Georgian players depicted on the London cabs.
So far, Georgia has played two games at the World Cup. After the memorable victory over Tonga in the opening match (17-10), the Lelos suffered a painful defeat against Argentina (9-54).




Georgians know Vito Kolelishvili who fought at the field like a lion and got compared to King Leonidas due to the emotions he displayed after the game was over.

“Sixteening” used to be my favorite childhood game: No matter what you were asked, the answer always was 16. As of late, it seems that a large part of Georgia has taken up this game too. “I am sixteenth” is the official motto of the campaign in support of Georgia’s National Rugby Team, implying that the fans are the invisible 16th member of a typical 15-man team, providing it with much-needed support.

"The country should know its heroes, and it already does. Few people will fail to recognize Mamuka “Gorgodzilla” Gorgodze, captain of the rugby team, who, aside from numerous tries, managed to accumulate a whopping 27 tackles against Tonga, earning himself the title of the best player of the match".



After the historical match that took place last Satuday at Gloucester’s Kingshogeotv.gelm Stadium, the ranks of the “sixteenths” have swelled significantly. The Georgian team beat Tonga’s with a score of 17:10, winning a game that they spent four years preparing for. This is the fourth time the Georgian National Team competes for the World Cup, but this is the first instance of it winning against such a powerful opponent. On the same day, the Japanese team defeated its South African counterpart with a sensational score of 34:32, but the paths of Sakura and our Lelos are unlikely to cross anytime soon


18-year-old Vasil Lobzhanidze performed splendidly during the match, becoming the youngest player ever to compete at the World Cup.


geotv.geFew people will fail to recognize Mamuka “Gorgodzilla” Gorgodze, captain of the rugby team, who, aside from numerous tries, managed to accumulate a whopping 27 tackles against Tonga, earning himself the title of the best player of the match. Georgians know Vito Kolelishvili who fought at the field like a lion and got compared to King Leonidas due to the emotions he displayed after the game was over. They know 18-year-old Vasil Lobzhanidze, who performed splendidly during the match, becoming the youngest player ever to compete at the World Cup. Georgia knows every single player that took part in that remarkable game. Each and every single one of them gave the match his best, starting a new page in the history of Georgian rugby. Three of them – Mamuka Gorgodze, Mikheil Nariashvili and Vasil Lobzhanidze – even ended up on the week’s symbolic team!



The Tongan team, nicknamed Sea Eagles, starts its matches with geotv.geSipi Tau, a war dance. Georgians are not strangers to dancing either, but their Dimpi Tauri is kept strictly outside stadiums – these are for fighting only.

During the match, the Georgian scrum bound the Tongans, preventing them from going into full swing. Also, our team played the last ten minutes with only 14 members, yet not even this disadvantage has stopped them from winning.

“This was the best victory in our history so far. We are a small team, and never before have we graced our country with triumph of such a scale,” Mamuka Gorgodze commented after the match. He wasn’t wrong, except for the fact that this small team also has a big heart and a sixteenth player.


After performance against New Zealand reignites ‘Seven Nations’ debate


At first glance New Zealand's 43-10 victory over Georgia in Cardiff on Friday night seems like a runaway win. But in the 74th minute it was a slightly different story, with Georgia trailing the world champions 29-10 - a comfortable but hardly devastating lead for the reigning world champions against a Tier 2 nation, the Rugby World Cup official website says.
At the post-match media conference the question of whether the Six Nations tournament should be expanded to include Georgia was once again posed to Lelos coach Milton Haig.
“It’s certainly something that I’ve been speaking publicly about every opportunity I get," Haig said.
"Something like that is absolutely crucial for our development, because in the long run if we are consistently a competitive national side, that’s the kind of competition we need to be in.”
Haig cited Argentina’s progression following its inclusion in the Rugby Championship, where they now play against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
“You can see how far their team has come along. We’d love that opportunity,” Haig said.
“We understand it's a very difficult decision for the six partners to make, but I think it would grow the game globally and it would open up a big market in eastern Europe."
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw was also asked after the Georgia game whether he thinks Tier 2 nations should have the opportunity to play more games against tier one teams.
“We’ve seen through this tournament, compared to other tournaments that I’ve played in, that the so-called ‘easy’ games aren’t easy any more,” he said.
“The whole standard of rugby you’ve seen in this tournament is lifted. You see teams that are capable of putting pressure on the so-called top teams, and I think everyone is excited to see that,” the Rugby World Cup official website informs.


They deserve round of applause!!! - Rugby World Cup honors Georgian Rugby Team



Despite the fact that Georgian National Rugby Team was defeated by New Zealand in yesterday’s match, the Lelos fought heroically till the last minute and showed an incredible game. Correspondingly, Georgian players received a storm of applause from the spectators.To honor Georgian players the Facebook page of Rugby World Cup published a photo of Georgian team on their cover under following title: “A spirited Georgia lap up a deserved round of applause.”


Go Go Lelos! Rugby. Is. Our Game!