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Georgia national rugby league team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Association | Georgia Rugby League | ||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | Europe | ||||||||||||||||
| Head coach |  David Kilassonia |
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| Captain | Virso Kadadze |
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| RLIF ranking | 15th | ||||||||||||||||
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First international Netherlands 14 - 34 Georgia (Tbilisi, Georgia; 29 April 2005) |
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| Biggest win Netherlands 16 - 57 Georgia (Tbilisi, Georgia; 26 May 2006) |
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Biggest defeat France 60 - 0 Georgia (Carcassonne, France; 30 October 2005) |
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The Georgia national rugby league team played its first international game in 2005. The Georgian team play in a red jersey with a white cross on the front. Before a match, they have their own "haka", called the Perkhuli (meaning "footwork").
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The history of rugby league in Georgia began in 1991 when a Georgian player was recruited by a Russian rugby league club. In 1993 a rural Georgian rugby union club team defected to the Russian Rugby League. The club and all of its players were banned from playing rugby union in the future.
In 2004 Paata Tsintsadze established rugby league in Georgia, with the backing of the Rugby League European Federation. In June 2004 the Georgia Rugby League (GRL) was incorporated, and recognised by the State Sports Ministry. Nodar Andghuladze was the first Chief Executive Officer and David Kilassonia the coaching manager. Soon after rugby union clubs Locomotivi (Railways RC) and Hooligana RC joined the GRL, alongside a third club, the newly founded Raindebi (Knights).
Georgia played its first international match on April 29, 2005 against Netherlands in Rotterdam. The first international match on Georgian soil took place on July 24, 2005 at Dynamo Stadium, Tbilisi. In that match Georgia defeated Serbia 44-12 in front of 8000 spectators.
After winning a position to compete in the 2005 European Nations Cup, Georgia performed admirably against Russia, going down 48 to 14. After the defeat, Georgia took on six-time European Champions France, going down 60 to nil, in a rain soaked Vake Stadium in Georgia.
See also 2008 Rugby League World Cup qualifying
In 2006 Georgia won Europe Round One, defeating Netherlands and Serbia in the process. They will now be involved in Europe Pool One with Scotland and Wales. The winner of the pool will qualify for the 2008 World Cup with the runner up entering the Repecharge round.
However, as a result of forfeiting a fixture in Russia and lacking a national league they were expelled from the world cup qualifying and subsequently the RLIF. Rugby league is no longer played in Georgia, although it may return in the future.
- Georgia 34-14 Netherlands (29 April 2005)
- Georgia 44-12 Serbia (24 July 2005)
- France 60- 0 Georgia (30 October 2005)
- Russia 48-14 Georgia (23 October 2005)
- Georgia 46-19 Russia (4 February 2006)
- Georgia 45-10 Serbia (13 May 2006)
- Georgia 57-16 Netherlands (26 May 2006)
See Russia for games played by "Soviet Union" and "C.I.S." in early 1990's
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