Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Georgia national rugby union team
The Lelos are the national rugby union team of the former Soviet Caucasian republic of Georgia.
The team's name comes from lelo, an indigenous Georgian sport with strong similarities to rugby. Lelo has been adopted as the Georgian word for "try" (the highest-valued score in rugby). One standard cheer of Georgian rugby fans is Lelo, Lelo, Sak'art'velo (Try, Try, Georgia).
Georgia founded its own Rugby Union in 1964 despite being part of the Soviet Union. Georgia then got together with other FIRA countries to host a tour by Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe's first match on the tour was in the wet against Georgia in Kutaisi, west of Tbilisi, which Georgia won 16-3. The next year Georgia went to Zimbabwe where they played two tests, losing the first in Bulawayo and winning the second 26-10 in Harare.
Georgia was now a rugby nation but getting matches was not easy. It was limited to the odd game against Ukraine until it gained membership of the IRB in 1992.
Georgian rugby first made an impact at Rugby Sevens and as the game took off in the country, the travel and opportunities to land lucrative contracts in France made rugby a glamorous pursuit in Georgia.
Georgia is currently considered a developing rugby nation. The Lelos participate in the European Nations Cup, which is a second-level competition for European national teams. Having failed to qualified for the 1999 Rugby World Cup Georgia bounced back by winning the European Nations Cup.
The Lelos qualified for the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup, but went winless in four matches. Despite the sad financial state of their union, qualification has seen the sport's profile rise throughout Georgia.
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