THE GEORGIAN Ambassador and representatives of the Georgian Rugby Union made a pilgrimage to the birthplace of rugby football to join in the bicentenary celebrations of the birth of the game.
Ambassador Sophie Katsarava MBE, Georgian Rugby Union CEO Tornike Gogebashvili, and Gia Nizharadze, the Rugby-Europe Vice-President and Representative of Georgia at World Rugby, were welcomed to the town by Mark Pawsey MP.
During their trip, the delegation visited Rugby School and met with its Executive Head Master Peter Green, who told them how the school is marking the milestone.
They walked on the hallowed turf where William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it 200 years ago.
They were also shown the exhibition Rugby School has created for the bicentenary, featuring artefacts dating back to the creation of the game on the fields of Rugby, to more recent treasures including the ‘Wooden Spoon’ presented to a group of England fans by Irish fans after England finished last in the 1983 Five Nations.
This led to the founding of the Wooden Spoon Charity, which 20 years later has raised over £27million to transform the lives of vulnerable children and young people through the power of rugby.
The delegation also visited the Webb Ellis Museum, which houses memorabilia from rugby teams local and national, including from Barbarians and Lions tours of the past.
L-R: Tornike Gogebashvili, Lawrence Webb, Mark Pawsey MP, Ambassador Sophie Katsarava and Gia Nizharadze at the William Webb Ellis Museum.
The museum is also now home to a Lelo Burti ball, donated by Ambassador Katsarava and the Georgian Rugby Union. Lelo Burti is a traditional game played in Georgia with many similarities to rugby, but with a much larger ball which traditionally can weigh as much as 15 kilogrammes. The Georgian rugby team is known as ‘The Lelos’ in recognition of this connection.
Ambassador Katsarava said: “Georgia, as a proud rugby nation, traces its rugby roots back to the ancient folk sport of Lelo Burti, now displayed in the Rugby museum.
“I am pleased we have established friendly relations with Rugby and I look forward to seeing these ties enhanced in the future. Many congratulations to Rugby on its 200th anniversary.”
Mr Pawsey added: “Our town is the only place in the world which has given its name to an internationally played game, and the bicentenary is a great opportunity to celebrate it.
“Sport is also a great way to build lasting connections and friendships, both at an individual level and between our nations, and so it was a great pleasure to welcome the Ambassador, Mr Gogebashvili and Mr Nizharadze to Rugby, to see for themselves the historic ground on which the game we all play was created.”
