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John Jones

Wales' next opponents have shaken world rugby order but now face being shut out

They have been the story of this year's World Rugby U20 Championships - and now Georgia's youngsters are getting ready to take on Wales as they look to bring down another Tier One nation.

The Junior Lelos have caused two upsets already this summer, thrashing a talented Argentina side 20-0 in their second pool game before beating an outstanding young Italy team 17-30 on Tuesday.

Their narrow opening round loss to South Africa means they just missed out on the semi-final, pipped in the end by the Springboks themselves, but they are still in contention for an unprecedented fifth place finish if they can get past their Welsh opponents this weekend.

READ MORE: Fiji's wonderful gesture as Ireland players wipe away tears on pitch

Mark Jones' side have also exceeded expectations in South Africa after a miserable Six Nations whitewash earlier this year.. After pushing New Zealand within a point of a famous win in their opening game, they staged a late comeback to thrash Japan and then fell to a 19-43 defeat to tournament favourites France, a side they conceded 11 tries to back in March

But they will have to be at their best again to avoid slipping to defeat against the Georgians who have impressed throughout the tournament, which they came into off the back of a first ever victory over England.

With talent across the pitch from their powerful forward pack to their rapid back line, they pose a threat to nearly any team and simply blew the Argentinians away with their firm defensive set-up and dangerous counter attacking prowess.

The young team play with passion too and have left everything out on the pitch in their recent performances, which were capped with jubilant celebrations in front of their supporters that continued later in the dressing rooms.

Georgia's senior team beat Wales just last year and their under-20s point to a bright future (Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd)

With a tie against either New Zealand or Australia up for grabs in their clash against Wales, only a fool would write off the Georgians claiming another scalp at the weekend.

Of course, it's not just the youngsters who have been thriving, with the senior team also beating Italy last summer before humiliating Wales at home in the autumn to earn their first wins over Tier One nations.

But despite Georgian rugby being in such a healthy position right now, their stars of tomorrow now face a future where they are robbed of the chance to play against the world's best sides, due to a new international tournament which is set to begin in 2026.

The biennial 'Nations Championship' will feature all teams from the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship in the southern hemisphere, while two other countries, likely to be Japan and Fiji initially, will also be invited.

Alongside the new tournament, World Rugby is set to also create a second-tier competition made up of teams from Europe and the rest of the world, which will eventually allow for promotion and relegation matches.

What this all means for rising Tier 2 nations like Georgia is that from 2026 until 2030, they will not be able to play any Tier One nations in the years of the competition, as they normally would every autumn. Instead consigned to a competition that, at least initially, will not allow for promotion or relegation.

When (or maybe even if) promotion is introduced, these nations will likely be disadvantaged in other competitions having not played a top side in years, while the opportunities to make it into the Nations Championship will be limited to one game for one team, every two years.

The crushing blow comes after Georgian rugby bosses claimed that they deserved a place in the Six Nations having proved they are "important members of European rugby".

“We managed to beat two tier one teams in the last year,” said the national team's head coach Levan Maisashvili. “One at home and one away in Wales. Therefore I think that we really deserve that Six Nations give us a chance to participate in some way – at least we deserve to have more opportunities to play against tier one teams.”

As far as their talent pool is concerned, the future of Georgian rugby is bright. But due to matters outside of their control, their stars may never be given the chance to burn even brighter on the world stage.

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