Wales' World Cup opponents Georgia want to play in the Six Nations with the nation's rugby heads claiming that they "really deserve" to participate after claiming famous wins.
The Lelos recorded a victory over a tier one nation for the first time last summer as they beat Italy 28-19 before humiliating Wales at home in the autumn, with their 13-12 win hammering what Wayne Pivac later claimed was "the final nail in the coffin" of his tenure as Wales head coach.
The ambitious nation - who currently play in the second-tier Rugby Europe Championship - want to see their achievements rewarded with a place in the Six Nations, with the national team's head coach Levan Maisashvili and Georgia Rugby Union president Ioseb Tkemaladze also hoping that a Georgian side will be given a chance to shine in the European Challenge Cup.
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In an interview with City A.M., both men called on domestic and international bosses to let their guard down towards Georgia after proving that they are "important members of European rugby", with the "huge" opportunity for commercialisation also cited in their bid to be admitted to the Six Nations.
“We managed to beat two tier one teams in the last year,” said Maisashvili. “One at home and one away in Wales. Therefore I think that we really deserve that Six Nations give us a chance to participate in some way – at least we deserve to have more opportunities to play against tier one teams.”
Agreeing with the head coach, Tkemaladze added: “The fact that we have won Rugby Europe 15 times, we contribute a lot to European emerging countries. With Italy and Wales – as well as at age level – Georgian rugby has got several victories. I think we’ve clearly shown that we are important members of European rugby. Whether we deserve the place or not is up to the organisers.
“Our goal is to use every opportunity we could get, including the Six Nations. We are doing everything to gain a place in high quality competitions. Rugby here [Georgia] is a big economy, it is a huge commercialisation opportunity, and the Six Nations is definitely the best tournament to showcase that.”
Georgia U20s completed a shock 40-38 win over England earlier this month.
Debate around Georgia's place in European Test rugby is nothing new, with the idea of them replacing Italy in the Six Nations being floated around for years. However, while the Georgians are currently three places above the Azzurri in the world rankings and the merits of a promotion and relegation from the Championship continue to be discussed, the idea has been dismissed by tournament bosses.
But reform could be reached in other ways, with Maisashvili hoping that the club side he coaches, Tbilisi-based Black Lion, will be given a chance in the Challenge Cup. The club was only founded two years ago but has already competed in the Currie Cup in South Africa as well as the Rugby Europe Super Cup where they have faced sides from Israel and Romania.
“We believe that we deserve our place more than anyone,” said Maisashvili. “We are putting lots of finances into [tournaments] to show World Rugby and EPCR that we are competitive, and that we are stable both financially and technically. Our activities during the last two years allow us to consider that we deserve to take part in the Challenge Cup. The more Black Lion develops the more the national team does.”
Tkemaladze added: “Everyone in Georgian Rugby supports more promotion and development of rugby in general and if the organisers of this tournament consider accepting different teams, of course we welcome it. The creation of Black Lion gave us a tangible result. [It] was created two years ago and it has already brought such a great result.”
