The meteoric rise of the Georgian national rugby Team over the last decade is the focus of a new infographic that illustrates how the Lelos have climbed up the world rankings to make an impression on the world rugby stage.
The infographic, titled Rugby is our game, draws on the popular slogan of Georgian rugby fans, and featured quick facts and data on the Georgian team.
Georgia was praised for its performance against eventual world champions New Zealand at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England. Photo by Martin Seras Lima.
The illustration was created by JumpStart Georgia, a non-governmental organisation involved in public data access and information visualisation.
The Lelos achievements at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, as well as the team's aspirations for more opportunities against the leading Six Nations teams, were included in the illustration.
Georgia has experienced immense success in the past 10 years: In 2011 the team had a European ranking of 21 but has since risen through the ranks to become the 7th best team in Europe in 2015.
For the past several years the Lelos has dominated the European Nations Cup and achieved the most wins at the tournament, noted the infographic.
The team's performances at the 2015 Rugby World Cup (RWC) kick-started comments by world experts including Rugby Europe President Octavian Morariu to support the Georgian side’s push for more playing opportunities against world's leading rugby nations.
Georgia’s promising results at last year’s RWC saw the teamqualify for the 2019 RWC in Japan.
Under head coach Milton Haig the Lelos claimed two victories during the pool matches. The side was then praised for its performance against eventual champions New Zealand.
JumpStart Georgia's infographic on the national rugby team can be viewed here.