Georgians confident of World Cup surprise

They may be flat broke but Georgia's rugby players have a wealth of optimism that none of their richer opponents can match.

While their more fancied World Cup rivals often seem terrified to talk up their chances of beating their opponents, the cash-strapped Georgians prefer a bolder approach.

"I think we will win all the matches," Georgia captain Ilia Zedginidze told reporters on the team's arrival at Perth airport yesterday.

"Our determination is to win all the matches and we will see what will happen."

While the standard of rugby is rapidly improving in the former Soviet state, Georgia's prospects of winning the tournament at their first attempt still seem a little premature.

They did teach the Netherlands a thing or two when they thrashed them 88-0 in Tbilisi last year and have already claimed the scalps of Spain and the Czech Republic this year.

But Zedginidze says Georgia's World Cup pool rivals, South Africa, England, Samoa and Uruguay, loom as more difficult opponents although he says his side have nothing to fear.

"We know the teams that Georgia have beaten before this World Cup are not of the level of the teams we are going to meet," he said.

"We will try our best to beat England. As for the other teams I don't think we have either easy or hard matches - all matches have the same intensity for us."

Georgia open their World Cup against Six Nations champions England on October 12.

- REUTERS

Full World Cup coverage