Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze will consider increasing the level of support for rugby in the former Soviet country, following massive crowd support in Australia on the back of a string of stirring, if ultimately unsuccessful performances at RWC 2003.
Speaking exclusively to rugbyworldcup.com the man who once presided as the Soviet Foreign Minister said he ordered 134,400 laris or about US$64,000 to be paid out of the presidential fund to help cover the team's training expenses to get them to the Tournament.
He is now calling on the Georgian entrepreneurs who donated $10,000 dollars each to the Tournament fund to join with the government to keep Georgian rugby afloat.
"Of course the situation in the country is difficult," Shevardnadze said. “It is difficult to find money when there are problems in other areas. We don't have a lot of money to allocate but this team is the pride of all Georgia.”
Georgian newcomers
Georgia is a relative newcomer to rugby and remains very much a minnow internationally, but it is the only team sport in which Georgia has managed to notch up successes, notably winning the European Nations Cup in 2001 and, for the first time, entering the final stages of a Rugby World Cup this year.
Georgia struggled financially in the Tournament build up. Training in France in September, the team was nearly evicted from their hotel because funds were not available on time to settle their hotel account.
The President of the Georgian Rugby Union, Bidzina Gegidze, appealed to the government, supported by biting articles in the Tbilisi newspapers.
Georgia justified this support in the 46-19 loss to South Africa, pushing the African champions all night to come within 13 points at one stage.
A single try
Hooker David Dadunashvili scored Georgia’s first and to date only RWC try and fly half Paliko Jimsheladze kicked five from five.
At game's end the Georgians were given a standing ovation as they jogged a lap of honour.
Georgian fans know the highs and lows of international rugby: They celebrated all night in Tbilisi on 13 October 2002 when a victory over arch rivals Russia won Georgia a place in this year's World Cup.
Coach Claude Saurel, who many in Georgia regard as a hero, believes the sport is developing fast.
"We've achieved a lot lately,” he said. “Most members of the national team play for French clubs where they're improving their ability to play at a professional level.
"There's no comparison between the conditions in which our players train and compete in France and our own national championship where the situation is very difficult."
Funding shortfall remains
Despite the presidential seal of approval funding for rugby remains a problem.
Georgian journalist Giorgy Kupatadze thinks he knows the answer:
“Instead of wasting money on sports in which we keep failing, they should give strong support to the few sporting fields in which Georgian athletes are among the best in the world,” he said.
“Rugby and wrestling.”