'The thinking from some people who run the game is a bit blurred - they say certain things, but their actions are different'
At the end of the World Cup, Milton Haig and his family will bid farewell to their Georgian haven, a place and a people they have come to adore, leaving behind a rugby nation in rude health.
A canny New Zealander, Haig has been in charge in Tbilisi for seven years. On his watch, with the financial muscle of billionaire donor Bidzina Ivanishvili behind him, rugby in Georgia has rocketed.
They have a vast training facility to rival any in the global game, a large and vociferous following, title after title in the second-tier European championship, and Graham Rowntree, the former England and Lions forwards specialist, looking after what is an already ferocious set-piece.
But some things haven’t changed. Since the last World Cup, Georgia have played four games against tier one opposition. In the previous World Cup cycle, they had two. They will get a couple of precious cracks at Scotland in this year’s pre-tournament warm-up Tests, but it is still a meagre return.
Over the next dozen years, World Rugby has committed to upping the number of tier one matches for the game’s burgeoning nations and how Georgia need them. They have won eight of the past nine Rugby Europe Championships and are too big a fish for the second-tier pond.
They crave an opportunity to swim with the sharks of the Six Nations, but the tournament organisers are loath to tamper with a cherished and highly lucrative operation. The door remains shut and so Georgia are stuck, at serious risk of stagnating.
“It’s a huge worry for us and has been since the last World Cup,” said Haig to RugbyPass. “That’s why I have been happy to talk to anyone about getting a franchise team in a competition, about getting increased competition.
“If I can’t get more tier one Tests, I need to get my players into better competitions. We have got players in the Top 14 and that’s okay, but we need to get more players playing at a higher level more consistently, so they understand how to deliver week in, week out and to increase skill sets.
“We haven’t heard anything about that. But you get to a ceiling and until you can break through it, it is pretty hard to keep improving. That’s where we’re at.”
What Haig is hinting heavily at is a slot in the evolving PRO14. Here, expansion is embraced. Two South African sides joined the party in 2017 and there is the talk of more following.
A Georgian franchise, with all its best talent enrolled, backed by Ivanishvili and a feverish fanbase, could prosper just as Argentina’s Jaguares have in Super Rugby. “We absolutely could be competitive,” Haig insisted.
Here is the final ranking of @rugby_europe #Championship after the last round played today. Congratulations to @GeorgianRugby winner of #REC2019 👏👏👏🏆🥇 pic.twitter.com/oMCqqK1tJg
— Rugby Europe (@rugby_europe) March 17, 2019
“The PRO14 is a natural fit for us because it’s northern hemisphere-based, and the time zones don’t change that much. The first step for us would be a franchise team in the PRO14.
“Then, because you are in with the Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Italian teams, that is where you start developing your relationships to break down barriers to get into the Six Nations. That’s an obvious and necessary step we need to take.”
In among all the frustrations that come from slogging fruitlessly for a seat at the top table, there is also a concern. Haig worked in advertising and design before becoming a full-time coach and he knows rugby must be commercially viable.
Our dear Friends and Followers,
Please check out the message from @GeorgianRugby President, Mr. Gocha Svanidze on the developments regarding the World Rugby League and its proposed possible structure pic.twitter.com/KOLY1G2YY6— Georgian Rugby (@GeorgianRugby) March 4, 2019
But there is a worry at what is being said and done by those in power. An alarm that while the game needs investment to secure its future, it cannot chase revenue at the expense of the spirit upon which it was built.
“I absolutely understand that the commercial viability of the game is important because if we don’t have the money, we can’t do some of the things we want to do,” he agreed.
“When I grew up, the one thing that was different from some of the other sports was the values of rugby, the way we actually think about the game. You could battle on the field as much you liked, but when you came off the field, you shook hands, you had a beer, you had a bit of a chat and something to eat, and went your separate ways with your team.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0dmhmCobVU/
“Some of the values that we have been brought up with, and that everybody holds dear, some of the thinking from the people who are running the game now is not that at all. It’s gone into a business model.
“I absolutely understand the commercial value, but one of the reasons why people love being involved in the game is that it included everybody. It didn’t matter who you were, you could put on boots and play. It doesn’t matter what country you’re from, if you can add value, you can add value.
“I just think the thinking from some of the people who run the game is a bit blurred – they say certain things, but their actions are different.”
We can’t wait to see how Pool D unfolds at #RWC2019
Watch it up close, tickets available here: https://t.co/wiftbbRu2B pic.twitter.com/GS26aP2gPi
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) August 10, 2019
The hope for Haig is that come the serious stuff in Japan, his players can deliver a show so irrepressible that the governing bodies feel compelled to extend an invitation.
In practice, that will be fiendishly difficult. Georgia should make light work of Uruguay in Pool D, but they have been drawn alongside Grand Slam winners Wales, an Australian team that just stuck 47 points on New Zealand, and the majestic talents of Fiji, who will have had the rare and dangerous luxury of access to all of their players for several months of preparation.
“We will surprise a few people,” Haig claimed. “You look at all the websites and who they’re talking about, they’re not talking about Georgia. We don’t mind that at all. We were credible at the last World Cup, finishing third in our pool, and we want to improve on that this year in terms of our credibility.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0qxwBTAsMn/
“If we can do that, then definitely it starts more conversations around our consistency because that is what people are looking for. They are looking for our consistency to perform on a big stage regularly and create an upset.
“If we can do that, then definitely, that will convince people, that ’S***, we need to reconsider where Georgia are at’.
“What that also does is put World Rugby in a position to be able to talk to others about including Georgia in this competition in that competition. And hopefully, we can get a bit more of a share of tier one Tests from 2020 onwards.”
From Fiji to Georgia, and Christchurch to Tokyo; nine breakout stars coming your way in 2019
– writes @alexshawsport 👨💼 https://t.co/zWdZSY9oHW
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 2, 2019
If they are going to shake up the rugby world, they will need more than a monster pack. The perception of Georgian rugby still depicts an impossibly large eight of France-based warriors without a great deal outside them.
“When I joined, I said the same thing – quite a good team, big forward pack but pretty one-dimensional. We always knew we would need to change that to contest some of the bigger teams. You’ve got to be able to use the ball well as well as have a good set-piece.
“I remember saying to myself after the last World Cup that if I didn’t have better X-factor on the wings going into the next World Cup then I’d shoot myself – and I’m happy to say I’m not going to have to do that!
Rowntree on:
▫️England Georgia training
▫️Leaving Harlequins
▫️ …and Kyle Sinckleras told to @jimhamilton4 👨💼 https://t.co/ya6P0ZbMCk
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 6, 2019
“We’ve got some reasonably good young talent on the outsides, something we have been really working hard on over the last four years, so I didn’t have to shoot myself.”
Spearheading the new crop of backline talent is 20-year-old fly-half Tedo Abzhandadze, a play-maker bound for Brive who Haig previously said had the potential to be “world-class”.
“He made his debut in November last year and it was like this kid had played 10 Test matches already. That’s how natural he was.
“He’s played every Test since – for a 20-year-old, that’s not too bad. He’s got a real read for the game, feels the game very well, tactically clever, he’s a very good attacker and defender.
“He’s got a huge future, probably the most natural 10 that I’ve been involved with for a long time, and that includes some of the New Zealanders I’ve coached.”
When the great show is over, Haig will take his leave, returning to Japan where he has signed a contract with Suntory Sungoliath that begins in November. The move has been kept relatively quiet – in part so as not to have any effect on Georgia’s preparations.
Georgian Polyphony and incredible atmosphere any time #TheLelos play at #Dinamo Arena
🇬🇪 Georgia v Scotland 🏴 | 31 Aug, KO 20:00, Dinamo
🇬🇪 Georgia v Southern Kings 🇿🇦 | 27 Aug, KO 19:15, MeskhiTickets available here https://t.co/ydBBd2uNF6 pic.twitter.com/RZZpwCvaN9
— Georgian Rugby (@GeorgianRugby) August 11, 2019
Haig has given his boys a “thrashing” in early pre-season and is now fine-tuning in the gleaming surrounds of the Gloria Sports Arena Turkey’s southern coast. The facilities are phenomenal – Warren Gatland will take Wales there later this month.
These are vital but poignant moments. Haig’s legacy is assured, but how dearly he would love to bow out wielding a scalp. “Regardless of what happens at the World Cup, I’ve left the place better than it was when I first arrived in leaps and bounds.
“What we are now as opposed to what we were in 2012 is so different. I’ve had a hand in that and I’m happy about that.
“But you’re always trying to make sure you’re optimising opportunities and I see the World Cup as a massive opportunity. With it being my last tournament with the team, I’ve got more motivation than anyone else to say, ‘Right, I’m not going to waste this opportunity, I’m going to do everything possible’.”
WATCH: Part one of Operation Jaypan, the two-part RugbyPass documentary on what the travelling fans can expect to experience at the World Cup in Japan
Comments on RugbyPass
Will rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
2 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
2 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to comments