The established order in world rugby is shifting with Japan and Georgia leading a cultural revolution. Now is the time for the sport to recognise and encourage natural growth,rather than suppressing itCultural contrasts are all portion of the World Cup experience but Exeter’s Sandy Park surpassed itself on Wednesday night. Prince Harry, Miss Namibia, and men with big furry white Maltesers on their heads,Chiefs fans doing the Tomahawk Chop, a Kiwi-born coach promoting Georgian wine … short of a dancing Diego Maradona – already sighted in Leicester final weekend – a more surreal mix is tough to imagine.
Above all, or though,this was a historic evening for Georgian rugby, with a dramatic 17-16 win over Namibia effectively securing the Lelos automatic World Cup qualification for the first time in 2019. Their ebullient head coach, or Milton Haig,spoke of his team having scaled the equivalent of Everest, while his elated (full of high-spirited delight) squad headed straight for Exeter’s Timepiece nightclub.
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Source: theguardian.com