The Georgians during a team meeting ahead of their opening game on 9 June
6 JUNE 2006
By Willy Billiard
They arrived in France on 30 May via Istanbul and Lyon - one week ahead of the other teams. But why so early? "In order to get used to the surroundings, but primarily to be able to train in good conditions and on good quality pitches," explains Zurab Zoidze, team manager.
The team, which is staying in a hotel in Clermont-Ferrand, has its training base in a small village nearby called Pont-du-Château, where the local rugby club is more than happy to welcome their visitors from afar. For the Georgians, who sometimes perform their training sessions in the car parks of football stadiums back home, the facilities are more than adequate.
A few days ahead of their first game, against Wales, the mood in the camp is becoming ever-more focussed on the job at hand. "They are a bit nervous," admits Zoidze, "because there are a number of big names in the tournament. But they're handling the pressure well so far.
"We'll see how they cope on the pitch. They're all pretty excited, though, because it's a dream for all of them to be here."
They're all pretty excited, though, because it's a dream for all of them to be here
Zurab Zoidze, Georgia team manager on his squad
Message from the class of 2003
It's a case of training and more training up until Friday. Before they left for France, the team received some words of advice from some of the players who brought so much credit to the country for their performances during Rugby World Cup 2003, including the memorable try against South Africa. "They told us it was important to do our homework on the opposition, to study the videos." says Zoidze.
By chance, the Georgians in France this year will also face South Africa, in Thiers on 13 June.
It is part of a tough series of pool matches, which also includes a game against Ireland as well as the opener against the Welsh. Despite this, Zoidze is confident his team can be successful.
"Our objective is to win two games. As a minimum we want to improve on our pre-tournament ranking of 12th.
"Rugby is the only sport in Georgia which you can play against the big teams. Our supporters back home are hoping for good news from France. We know that there are some tough matches ahead, but we hope to avoid injuries. If we can do that, we believe that we will give them something to talk about."
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