It's not war, but it is a passion

Gerry Thornleylooks at the colourful and often difficult history of the game in Georgia

One of the anomalies of the rugby map is calling the likes of the US or Russia minnows. But living under the shadow of its mighty neighbour, Georgia is entitled to that label more than most, and the country's success in rugby is one of the most remarkable and heartwarming in the game. Without a World Cup the story would never have unfolded, and without countries like Georgia, the World Cup would be poorer.

In a poor, mostly rural country of five million people, which became independent only in 1991 and joined the IRB a year later, Georgia has 38 rugby clubs, 28 pitches and a pool of fewer than 3,000 players to draw on. Around 90 play abroad, mainly in France, a country that does more for Argentinian, Georgian, Italian and Romanian rugby than the rest of the world put together.

All told, a phenomenal 23 per cent of the players at this World Cup are based in France, and it's Ireland's misfortune that Pool D has the biggest concentration of them, 45 per cent.

Twenty-six of the Georgian squad are based in France, the same as the hosts, although it's worth stressing that only eight are with Top 14 clubs; the rest ply their trade full-time or part-time with lower-division clubs. Rugby, however, remains perhaps the only domain where little Georgia beats and ranks above its huge neighbour Russia.

Their strength is undoubtedly up front, and particularly in the front row. Davit "Dato" Zirakachvili, their 120kg tighthead prop, who has nailed down the number three jersey with French champions Clermont Auvergne, probably embodies Georgian rugby as much as anyone. As a sure signal of intent by Georgian coach Malkhaz Cheichvili that he is targeting the Namibia clash on Wednesday week, Dato has been rested from tonight's 22-man squad.

Zirakachvili didn't take up rugby until he was 16, in his home of Rustavi, a dormitory town a few kilometres from Tbilisi. Spotted by a coach who came to his class, he went to play in Tbilisi. He wanted to be a centre, but his coaches thought otherwise. Zirakachvili comes from a tradition of strong props in Georgia because of their strength and size as a mountainy people.

"We have a tradition for props in Georgia linked to our stoutness," he explains, and admits liking the position as it suits his disposition not to submit. "It corresponds to what we are, to our sense of defiance. We don't like to submit, and a prop, even if very strong, if he hasn't character, won't exist. In that is our strength of soul."

His huge physical ability saw him invited to play at Aubenas in the French Pro D2 in 2003-2004. From there, he was recruited to Clermont in 2004, though, the way he recalls it, his French experience was far from plain sailing. Indeed, he was something of a fish out of water.

On his initial arrival at Aubenas he hadn't a word of French and there was no one to meet him. After his first training session everyone else went home, while he literally stood alone on the pitch. It was a stark contrast to his country, where, he explains, the stranger is always made welcome. He presumed the same would apply to him.

When a mass fight broke out during his second game, he was astonished. Street brawls, he thought, were to be expected, but he couldn't understand how one could hit another rugby player, a "colleague" practising the same sport. But as he looked on, he was kicked from behind and retaliated; he got a fortnight's suspension.

"I got mad, I nabbed the guy and gave him a punch in the face. It's just that we go over the top quickly and refs don't much like that, but I am never the first to strike," he maintains.

Rugby, as war, is incomprehensible to Zirakachvili, and with good reason. In his formative years in Rustavi, he experienced the Red Army invasion in 1989, two civil wars and two other wars. The family home frequently had electricity and heating cut.

"Often coaches would say to us guys, 'this match will be war'. But a Georgian knows it's not war, that it's only a rugby match. My father went away to war when I was 10 and I can tell you that marks a child for life."

He was six on April 9th, 1989, when Georgia found itself attracting the ire of Russia for wanting liberty a little too soon. Men, women and children had sat for several days in Liberty Square when the Red Army dispatched the Omons into Georgia. This elite group - made up entirely of orphans raised with a taste for blood - charged the crowd. In the first row stood Georgia's rugby team and Georgia is forever grateful to them. But 18 people died and hundreds were injured, and that started a long and painful period in the country's history.

Rugby, like everything else, has undergone years of ravages. "Loads of players gave up rugby as nothing was happening. But today we are smiling again," Zirakachvili says. "Peace has returned. Tbilisi smells of dust, and dust is life; it means it's being rebuilt."

A turning point was the appointment of French coach Claude Saurel in 1997, boosting the profile of the sport domestically and also developing the team's international presence when he was made national coach in 1999.

By October 2002, rugby had grabbed the hearts and minds of the nation and 45,000 crammed into the national stadium in Tbilisi to watch the momentous clash between Georgia and Russia, the former's victory earning qualification for the World Cup for the first time amid wild celebrations.

Matches between Russia and Georgia attract 60,000 spectators to Dynamo Stadium.

"In the changing-room one never evokes or calls up 'war' remarks," says Zirakachvili. "It's simply that if people have given their lives for our country, we can give 80 minutes or so when it comes to Russia. But afterwards we meet up with the Russian players, who are our pals."

He watched the 2003 World Cup on television with his Aubenas team-mates, who slagged him unmercifully when England beat Georgia 86-6. His Pro D2 team-mates also vowed France would thrash England in the semi-final, after which, bravely, he was the only player to stand and applaud.

There is an old Georgian proverb: "Put on your hat where you live"; accordingly, Zirakachvili has adapted to life in France. He says he finds the people kind, but admits to pining for Georgian bread, which he can't find anywhere.

What he notices particularly is that while Georgians are still very attached to their traditions and values, the French, he believes, are becoming less so.

On visits to his homelands, he drinks the local wine, Le vin de Karétie. It's a wine region in which most people make their own. It's put in huge jars (which are buried in the ground). Every time friends, passing visitors and relatives get together, the table is filled with fish (from the river) such as chachlik, chachapuri and glaxes.

He admits his compatriots "also drive too quickly and eat and drink and live too much, perhaps".

Despite the greying hair, he is only 24 next week. With his dark gaze looming over a huge neck and huge shoulders, he speaks of his people and his country with the passion of those who have always fought for their very existence.

"It's in us, this sense of facing danger; it's what has helped us through history," he says, in reference to Georgia resisting the Mongols, the Persians, the Turks and more recently the Russians. To even still exist today as a small population of just five million, with over 70 nationalities among the Caucasus, is a triumph of history in itself that makes even competing in a Coupe du Monde pale by comparison.

Georgia

v Georgia has 38 rugby clubs and a pool of 2,945 players from which to draw.

v While players such as Zirakachvili don't like comparing rugby to war, his fellow frontrower Akvsenti Giorgadze, who plays with Castres, doesn't mind.

"Rugby involves contact," said Giorgadze, whose younger brother, Irakli, is also playing in the World Cup. "The history of Georgia is war and rugby is like a modern war. On the field we do battle and rugby suits the Georgian national character."

v The Georgian rugby team's nickname, The Lelos, is derived from lelo, an indigenous Georgian rugby-like sport that predates William Webb Ellis's innovation by at least 200 years.

v Rugby Union is one of the most popular sports in Georgia and has been since the late 1950s.

v The Georgia Rugby Union was founded in 1964, but until the late 1980s it was part of the Soviet Union's rugby federation. Initially Georgia did not have its own team and its best players would play for the USSR.

v In 1991, Georgia declared its independence from the USSR and the national team was born. In 1992 they joined the IRB.

v Paliko Jimsheladze (right) became the first Georgian player to rack up 50 caps, in 2006.

v 2007 is Georgia's second successive appearance in the Rugby World Cup.

v Star lock and captain Ilia Zedginidze (below) -

14 tries in 46 internationals - is a

foreign diplomacy graduate of the

Tbilisi University, a talent he has exercised regularly on the pitch for club and country.

v The 2003 Georgian team's performance improved with every successive game. They lost by 78 points to England, 37 points to Samoa, 27 points to South Africa and 12 points to Uruguay.

v Georgia's current world ranking is 17.

v There are no uncapped players in the squad. The most capped players are Paliko Jimsheladze (56 caps), Bessik Khamashuridze (49 caps), Makho Urjukashvili (51 caps), Irakli Abusseridze (44 caps), Akvsent Guiorgadze (47 caps), Ilia Zedguinidze (46 caps), Guia Labadze (45 caps). At 36, Victor Didebulidze (42 caps) is the oldest in the squad.