Georgians to be left out in the cold again
YOU have to hand it to our lords and masters at World Rugby, the non-governing governing body: they never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. It is some achievement for an organisation committed to growth – the “g-word” is trotted out so often, you wonder if Liz Truss has been appointed CEO on the quiet – to shrink the ambitions of so many “developing nations” with a single stroke of the pen.
Just a week ago, Georgia (one of the few countries on the planet where union is the national sport) won the Rugby Europe title for the 14th time in 16 years, beating Portugal, their fellow World Cup qualifiers, in an intriguing if ultimately one-sided final.
The Lelos are to this competition – the only annual tournament available to them, thanks to the beggar-thy-neighbour policies of the “big eight” and their tiny handful of outriders – what Rafael Nadal has long been to the French Open. Which is to say, winners of the foregone conclusion variety.
Exasperatingly for those of us who believe that naked self-interest poses as big a threat to the sport as health and safety issues, it appears that the Georgians will remain all dressed up with nowhere to go for another seven years minimum. They may find themselves marginalised still further.
If last week’s newspaper reports prove accurate, the NGGB’s move to reshape the international calendar on a biennial “battle of the hemispheres” basis will be fine and dandy for those involved – the “foundation” nations, together with Italy, Argentina, Japan and, it is suggested, Fiji – and about as much use to the rest as a New Zealand referee at scrum time. In effect, Georgia will find it even harder to secure showcase fixtures against the biggest, richest countries than they do at present.
At this point, it is worth rememinternational bering that the last time they played tier one opposition, that opposition being Wales, they won. In Cardiff, by way of emphasising the point. And the time before that, against Italy in Tbilisi? Funnily enough, they won that one too. The NGGB sure picks its moments to tell people they aren’t worth bothering with.
During the Rugby Europe final in Badajoz on the Spanish-Portuguese border, plenty of Georgians performed at a level high enough to suggest they would thrive in the Six Nations. Most notably the magnificent No.8 Beka Gorgadze, who would be in the selection shake-up everywhere, including Dublin and Paris.
Their two scrum-halves, Vasil Lobzhanidze and Gela Aprasidze, both gave the distinct impression that they knew their way around a rugby field; the wing Akaki Tabutsadze is finding it almost as difficult to stop scoring as England’s contingent are finding it to start; the openside
“It appears they will remain all dressed up with nowhere to go for another seven years”
flanker Beka Saghinadze is 6ft 4ins, well over 16st and plays like it. As for the mighty front rowers, who continue to make the Bouldermobile brothers from Wacky Races look like seven-stone weaklings with sand in their eyes…these people are the stuff of scrummaging dreams.
Happily, the Italians have come on leaps and bounds under the stewardship of Kieran Crowley, who deserves a medal the size of a dinner plate for his achievements with national teams in no obvious position to achieve anything at all. And yes, they beat Wales in the 2022 Six Nations. Yet they finished bottom of the table this time, as per usual, and but for that try-at-the-death win in Cardiff, which brought to an end a losing streak of 36 straight, the Georgian claim for promotion – or, at the very least, a shot at promotion – would be stronger now than it was then.
But justice isn’t the point at issue. Money is the point – commercial potential, shareholding clout and all the rest of it. And the Six Nations, privately owned and privately run, is just fine as it is, thanks for asking. The directors are not remotely interested in Georgia – or anyone else in Eastern Europe, come to that – and have been known to admit it, on the record. Your columnist knows, because he was there when it was said.
If the Lelos’ position was borderline hopeless before these latest developments, it may soon be close to terminal. The new tournament, slated for a 2026 start, will eat up virtually all the tier-one space in the windows, leaving those on the outside to play amongst themselves until at least 2030, when the great and the good might, or might not, get round to thinking about a gateway.
The sport missed a trick with the Romanians in the 1980s, a decade in which they beat France, Scotland and Wales as well as registering five victories over Italy, yet still found themselves nibbling on crumbs from the top table. Lack of support from the elite was not the only factor in their fall, but it certainly helped shove them into oblivion. The last time they beat major opposition other than the Azzurri? That will be 32 years ago.
A final thought: Georgia are now ranked the sixth best nation in European rugby. Which isn’t enough to get them into the…er…Six Nations. Funny old game.