Resting Lelos go back to school

The Georgia team enjoyed a break from training on Thursday to make a community visit to the town of Wanaka, about 60km north-east of Queenstown.

The Lelos traded the training ground for the playground and 400 Wanaka Primary School pupils - as well as a few more from nearby schools - were the lucky beneficiaries.

Daryl Gellatly, who heads the school's year five and six pupils and organised the visit, said the students had been studying Georgia and the Georgian rugby team ahead of the World Cup, including watching footage of the European Nations Cup champions on YouTube.

Gellatly and his pupils put together a flag-waving reception, a kapa haka ceremony, a rendition of the New Zealand national anthem and a presentation of hand-made good luck messages.

Wielding cameras and mobile phones, the Lelos appeared to be as excited as the children and responded with a rendition of their own national anthem by Givi Chichinadze, the team's resident singer.

The anthem was applauded by the children and followed with an impromptu chant of ''Georgia, Georgia, Georgia'' before everyone posed for a giant squad photo.

Happy result

The players finished the event by signing autographs and posing for photos with the pupils.

Gellatly said he hadn't really known what to expect from Georgia but was very happy with the results.

"We were really pleased with the way they responded to our hospitality and how social they were with the kids," he said. "They got right into the ceremony.

"The kids aren't going to remember the last worksheet they did, but they'll definitely remember the day the Georgian team came."

Wanaka Community Board chairman Lyal Cocks echoed Gellatly's thoughts, saying the visit was beyond his expectations.

Fond memories

"It almost brought me to tears," he said. "Great performance by the children and also by the Georgian rugby team, they'll have fond memories for many years."

After the school visit, the squad headed off to Wanaka's Upper Clutha Rugby Club for a barbecue lunch, where club captain Ian Brown welcomed the squad to New Zealand and wished them luck for the tournament.

Georgia open their Rugby World Cup 2011 campaign against Scotland at Invercargill on Wednesday, 14 September.