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Lelos limber up for battle

Bienvenue: The Lelos met with a rousing reception in Lyon

Georgia face the daunting task of opening their World Cup campaign against Argentina, the conquers of France, in Lyon on Tuesday. But they can be assured of some good support at Stade Gerland.

The Lelos might be far from home but they will be cheered on by the locals as all but one of their squad play for French clubs.

"I think we'll have great support from the French fans - second to the French team of course," flank Rati Urushadze told AFP.

Georgia skipper Ilia Zedginidze hopes that at least one win in the tournament -they have fellow makeweights Namibia in their sights - can boost rugby at home in the former Soviet republic.

"Georgian rugby is continuing to grow. After the 2003 World Cup there were 50 per cent more licences and the popularity of the game increased a lot. I hope it will go up even more after 2007," he said.

Irakli Abuseridze, the vice-captain, believes the Pumas will be a hard act to stop on Tuesday.

"We're realists," he said. "We know where we stand when it comes to Ireland, France and Argentina. Our objective is Namibia. As for the rest, there's nothing to lose. So we just relax and play freely."

Meanwhile, Georgia's French coach Nicolas Foulquier is looking forward to the match against his compatriots in Marseille on September 30.

"They're really looking forward to the game against France in order to thank the French for the rugby experience they've been able to gain from them and to prove their own value to the French nation," said Foulquier.