They are still seen by some as lowly minnows, but Georgia have knocked off Japan, Wales and Italy in the last two years. And they want to prove they belong at rugby’s main table with a victory in Australia.
Georgia coach Richard Cockerill has delivered a passionate plea for World Rugby to create another seat at rugby’s top table for an aspirational team he believes is viewed as a “pain in the arse” and “an inconvenience” by the game’s bosses and leading nations.
“We’ve come here to win, we’ve not come here to make the numbers up or keep the score down, so we’ve got to go full throttle and have a go,” Cockerill said. “The pressure is on Australia,” Cockerill said. “They’re expected to win, aren’t they? So that’s perfect for us, we can turn up and we can play our game and all the pressure’s on them.
Though dominant in Europe, Georgia have been repeatedly rebuffed when asking to join the Six Nations. As such, they won’t be part of the new 12-team Nations Cup competition due to start in 2026 with the Six Nations teams and six from the south: the Rugby Championship teams, and Fiji and Japan.
“We’re a rugby nation and we need some oxygen to keep going. But we’re sort of an inconvenience aren’t we? Because well, shit, they could actually do with some help here, but actually they’re a bit of a pain in the arse, that’s how we’re getting treated. Cockerill said he hopes Georgia can be treated like Italy and given a chance to join the Six Nations, and for their main domestic team, the Black Lions, to join the United Rugby Championships competition, which has teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and South Africa.Beating the Wallabies would be the biggest possible demonstration of why Georgia need to join the big boys, Cockerill believes.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘We’ve come here to win’: Snubbed Georgia aim to seize global respect by rolling WallabiesThey are still seen by some as lowly minnows, but Georgia have knocked off Japan, Wales and Italy in the last two years. And they want to prove they belong at rugby’s main table with a victory in Australia.
Read more »
Wallabies make mass changes for Georgia Test amid third captain in three weeksAustralia swing 10 changes to their starting side for the one-off rugby international in Sydney with Allan Alaalatoa named skipper
Read more »
Donaldson recalled to meet Georgia as Wallabies reminded of near-miss at World CupBen Donaldson starred in a win over Georgia in Paris, including a memorable try involving a Taniela Tupou intercept. But it could have been a very different story if Tupou didn’t catch the ball.
Read more »
Donaldson recalled to meet Georgia as Wallabies reminded of near-miss at World CupBen Donaldson starred in a win over Georgia in Paris, including a memorable try involving a Taniela Tupou intercept. But it could have been a very different story if Tupou didn’t catch the ball.
Read more »
Beale and 13 new faces in Wallabies squad – but no NRL-bound starsWallabies coach Joe Schmidt has named his first Wallabies squad for Tests against Wales and Georgia. There is no shortage of talking points.
Read more »
Prince Harry ‘snubbed’ by sporting legend at award showRoyal fans have alleged American tennis star Venus Williams plainly snubbed Prince Harry as he accepted the Pat Tillman Award for service, with the rebuke raising doubt about the Sussexes relationship with the famous sporting sisters.
Read more »