If outspoken former Wallaby winger David Campese had his way, the likes of Georgia, Namibia and Portugal wouldn't be at the Rugby World Cup. Before the 20-country tournament got under way in France, Campese championed calls for the number of teams to be cut to 16 to avoid blowout scores that do little for rugby beyond rewriting its record books.Yet the underdogs have shamed their critics by scaring some of the fancied teams and proving they do deserve places at the game's biggest event. "Everybody who's here has earned the right to be here," New Zealand flanker Jerry Collins said. "Who's to say they shouldn't be here? They should get credit for getting this far and we should get behind them. They're only going to get better if they come here."
While rookie Portugal, Namibia and Japan have been on the wrong end of thumpings rugby's developing world also has turned in some inspirational performances and drawn some of the biggest roars from crowds in France.
No team has impressed more than Georgia, playing in only its second World Cup and still searching for its first win. Rugby is in its infancy in the former Soviet republic, which boasts just eight rugby pitches. [More]
