http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2015/09/rugby_world_cup_2015_how_russia_s_2008_invasion_and_ongoing_occupation_has.html

In just the second match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which opened last week in England, the small Caucasus nation of Georgia gave the tournament its first upset with a 17–10 win over an experienced Tongan side. In a sport where the past matters, Georgia is a relative newcomer, and beating a team with nearly a century of test play—and a strong World Cup upset history of its own—was a big win. But Georgia, which initially struggled to even get matches after gaining its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has steadily become a surprise threat in the world of rugby and now has a chance to do more damage against fellow rugby trailblazer Argentina on Friday. Rugby is now the most popular sport in the nation of less than 4 million. What’s more, Georgia’s rise has been made in the shadow of its darkest hour: the nation’s 2008 war with Russia. That war has fueled an intense rugby rivalry with the Russians, but it has also helped inspire the team to new heights—since 2008, Georgia has won the second-tier European Nations Cup six out of seven times and maintained its best run in the world rankings.