Georgia, a largely mountainous country that has a population of just over five million and lies in both the Asia and Europe continents, regained its independence with the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991.
The Georgia Rugby Union was formed in late 1964, four years after the sport was first played by University students and teachers, but it was not until February 1992 that Georgia became the 52nd member of the International Rugby Board (IRB).
The Lelos, as the national team are known, played their first international against a touring Zimbabwe side in September 1989 and have gone from strength to strength since the arrival of Frenchman Claude Saurel in 1997.
Georgia, which has only 21 registered clubs, announced their arrival during the inaugural IRB World Sevens Series before becoming the country’s first national side to reach the finals of a major tournament in any sport - the World Cup Sevens in 2001.
Georgia won the European Nations Cup in 2001 and this, together with their Rugby World Cup qualification, has resulted in an explosion in the sport’s popularity.