Georgia captain Ilia Zedginidze says his side will put Ireland under a lot of pressure when the two meet, but fully expects a better performance from Eddie O'Sullivan's side than the one they put in against Namibia.

Zedginidze and his team are motivated not just by the prospect of playing on the world stage but by the need to produce a respectable performance to help boost the profile of the sport in a country where there are just eight rugby pitches.

One of only four survivors from the Argentina game as coach Malkhaz Cheishvili attempts to keep his side fresh, Zedginidze insists his team have taken comfort from Ireland's dreadful display against Namibia.

"We watched the Ireland match as a squad. We were very impressed by Namibia," he said. "It was a hard game for Namibia but they did many good things. I don't think Ireland expected them to play like that and were caught by surprise a little bit.

"We'll try and play like the Namibians did and put pressure on Ireland to see how they react.

"We are confident about the game and we are ready for Ireland, but I can't imagine they'll play like that against us."

Zedginidze has urged organisers not be persuaded by calls to reduce the number of teams competing at the tournament in a bid to make it more competitive.

The 'Lelos' would be among the emerging nations struggling to qualify for a reduced 16-team competition if the International Rugby Board do decide to alter the format.

So far this month the likes of Georgia, Namibia, Portugal and Romania have acquitted themselves well in contests that were perceived to be mis-matches.

And Zedginidze insists the only way they will develop into second or even first tier rugby nations is through the exposure provided by the World Cup.

"Rugby is becoming more and more popular in Georgia," said the Auch backrow, who made his Test debut against Ireland in 1998  "After the first World Cup finished we had more people playing the sport at lower levels - and we also began to produce more professionals.

"Now most of the players in our squad are professional and compete in Europe.

"Rugby is a respected sport in Georgia and we want to fill the nation with pride, so it's important to do well at the World Cups.

"The internal championship isn't very popular but when the national team play there are always huge crowds coming to watch.

"The World Cup is crucial to this because it increases the sport's popularity and that means we get more attention from the government.

"We need funding and structures put in place and the publicity helps with that. At the moment there are only eight rugby pitches in Georgia.

"We know that when we play Ireland we are not only playing to win on the pitch, but also to show the world the potential we have."

Georgia will have helped their cause with Tuesday's battling 33-3 defeat to Argentina, which only saw the Pumas ease clear in the final 10 minutes.

Whether they have the energy to cause Ireland similar problems seems unlikely given they will be playing their second match in five days.