Georgia Rugby CEO blasts World Rugby's snubbing of second tier

  • 05/03/2019

You can mark Georgia on the opposition side to World Rugby's proposed World League.

The European side have been campaigning for Six Nations promotion for the last four years, given their excellent 2015 World Cup showing and Italy's demise as a top-tier nation.

Georgia currently sit 12th in the world rankings, three spots above the Azzurri.

President Gocha Svanidze has spoken out against the governing body, calling the leaked proposal "unacceptable".

"I will say that all those who are fond of rugby and who share rugby values cannot accept the outlook which recently leaked, probably a couple of snub-nosed retrograde officials, who cannot see further than their own noses," Svanidze said in a statement.

"This is how I can see certain World Rugby representatives, in whose minds this idea was born. This is absolutely unacceptable for anyone."

Svanidze has stressed the importance of continuing to develop second tier nations by including some form of promotion-relegation into a World League.

"We were aware that some changes were about to happen and were ready to accept these changes, though not in their present shape, which cuts off all possibility of development and is more likely to lead rugby toward darkness," Svanidze added.

"I'm sure we will be supported by a certain group of tier one countries, who think progressively, differently from what we all recently found out," he said.

Newshub.