Is it time for them to be taken seriously?
With Italy’s latest loss in the Six Nations proving ever more likely that Conor O’Shea’s side are likely to finish with the wooden spoon for yet another year, there is an increasing clamour for other nations to be considered for entering the tournament.
There is one stand out candidate when it comes to who should possibly be included at the Italians expense, and that is Georgia.
The eastern European country have won the Rugby Europe Championship (the second tier of the Six Nations) every year for the last six years.
They are ranked higher than Italy in the world rankings and have pulled off some impressive results against some more of the traditional nations such as Tonga and Fiji.
Their most recent win came at the weekend where they pulled off 28-14 victory over bitter rivals, Russia.
The game included an incredible length of the pitch try and the reaction of the support tells you everything you need to know about the passion that exists for the game.
#საქართველო 14:0 #რუსეთი , 26′ #lobjanidze‘s try#Georgia 14:0 #Russia , 26′@rugby_Europe @russiarugby @rugbyrussia #geoVrus pic.twitter.com/MiPXYoLCzx
— Georgia Rugby (@GEORGIARUGBY) March 12, 2017
The game was played at Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi and it was a sell-out, with 55,000 fans packed into the stadium.
Just look at the crowd below.
55 000 supporters ,Thanks to everyone for the wonderful support 💓#Georgia 28:7 #Russia @rugby_Europe @russiarugby @rugbyrussia pic.twitter.com/JSBzE1J7fB
— Georgia Rugby (@GEORGIARUGBY) March 12, 2017
There is a serious appetite for elite-level rugby in this country and you think World Rugby could do a little bit more to influence their potential participation in the Six Nations, or at least develop a pathway for them to do so.
Georgia look set for another championship triumph after already beating Belgium, Germany and Spain.
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