Here come Georgia

A remarkable 31 of the 42 players originally named in the Georgian World Cup rugby squad ply their trade in France.
So it is little wonder that when it came to finalising arrangements for a 47-day training camp starting on July 18 the Lelo's - as they are known - decided to base themselves at Mandelieu-la-Napoule, 10km from the French Riviera.
Rugby is the most popular sport played in Georgia and they have performed so well in second tier competitions they are now pressing to be included in the Six Nations tournament.
In the last World Cup, for instance, they lost by just four points, 10 to 14, against Ireland and word is they have improved significantly since then with victories having been achieved over United States and Canada.
Their aim at the 2011 World Cup is not only to be competitive in all their pool games but to secure at least two wins, which would be a notable "first" for them at this level.
And when you look at their draw they have to be given at least a fair chance of attaining that objective. They play Scotland in Invercargill on September 14, England in Dunedin on September 18, Romania in Palmerston North on September 28 and Argentina in Palmerston North on October 2.
The actual 30 players to represent Georgia won't be named until early next month but all things being equal they should include the man known as "Gorgodzilla", loose forward Mamuka Gorgodze. So popular is he that his fans presented him with a birthday cake decorated as a rugby pitch, complete with goalposts and a football made of whipped cream. A week before then he had been awarded the honorary title of "King of Georgian Sport", the first rugby player to receive that award.
At 118kg and 196cm tall, Gorgodze has made 37 appearances for Georgia, scoring 19 tries, and he plays for the strong Montpellier club in France.
By tradition the French daily rugby paper, Midi Olympique, selects the best players halfway through a season and this year Gorgodze got the nod for the No7 jersey thanks to what were described as a a series of "powerful, dominating displays and rampaging style of play."