Rugby: Milton Haig primed for ABs appointment

Milton Haig, pictured between Mark Crowther and Geoff Ruddock in 2002 after signing on as assistant coach of the Steamers, will coach Georgia against the All Blacks in the opening match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Photo/File

The old adage of being careful what you wish for because you might just get suddenly applies to the Georgian rugby team following their qualification for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

By beating Romania to win the FIRA-AER European Nations Cup Division 1A title, the side has earned the right to play the world champion All Blacks in the tournament's opening match at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on October 2, 2015.

The hard-fought 22-9 victory in front of a capacity crowd of 27,000 at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi sets up a dream match for the minnows of international rugby.

Their coach, former Bay of Plenty halfback Milton Haig, is approaching the match with the same attitude the All Whites took into their clash with Italy at the most recent football World Cup.

"For Georgia and the guys, to play against the All Blacks - something we've never done before - will be a special occasion," Haig said.

"Of course, as a coach and a Kiwi, it will be something I've never dreamed of before and it will be massive.

"But there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before we get to that stage. We'll enjoy this victory and then prepare well for Rugby World Cup."

It is yet to be seen whether Haig will field his strongest line-up in the opening match considering the team's forward-thinking approach.

"We will be targeting two wins in our pool at least. It is a realistic goal for us.

"We proved in Argentina that we can be competitive against Argentina, and our first goal in England will be two wins, thus qualifying automatically for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan."

Georgia will also face Tonga, Argentina and a yet-to-be-determined Africa qualifier at next year's global tournament in England and Wales.