In recent years, the debate has grown thicker.
Should we replace Italy - which remains on five consecutive wooden spoons - by Georgia, in the Six Nations Tournament.
“Lelos” who, at the same time, have continuously won the European Nations Championship (8 of the last 10 titles), the official name of the Six Nations B Tournament. Royalties from TV rights, held by
Sky Italia
, and advertising contracts have so far saved the heads of transalpine rugby players, the Georgian market being much less juicy.
Read also Georgia "needs a little more time before joining the Six Nations Tournament"
These trade limits convinced the Georgians to take the problem from the other side.
Become so sportingly legitimate that the governing bodies will no longer be able to refuse their access to the wider world.
"
We need a little more time
," argued coach Levan Maisashvili at the start of the week.
We need, before, to face more major nations.
To then show what we are capable of…
”
Build 100 new infrastructures scattered in 45 cities
An ambition that has become a national cause, promoted by the Prime Minister, Irakli Garibashvili. With government support, the Georgian Rugby Federation (GRU) has thus launched a colossal project: to build in the coming years one hundred new dedicated infrastructures across the small state of 4 million inhabitants. The goal ? Introduce as many kids (and girls) as possible to the oval balloon. “
We are working on a long-term development plan for rugby. This plan was presented to the Georgian government and it was agreed that pitches and stadiums would be built in 45 different cities
, details the president of the GRU, Ioseb Tkemaladze.
By the end of 2022, all the country's children will already have access to these new infrastructures.
"
To convince the authorities, Ioseb Tkemaladze imagined rugby as a vector of a cultural identity.
“
This development plan will help us rethink rugby, not only as a sport, but also as a national heritage.
If the oval balloon is very popular in Georgia, it only had 17,000 licensees before the health crisis.
A figure that the leaders want to multiply by four in the coming years.
With a medium-term ambition that may seem disproportionate.
May the Lelos, currently 12th in the World Rugby rankings, join the World Top 5!
At the level of England and France ...