Belgium rugby team starts long road to World Cup

Belgium coach Richard McClintock is keen for his charges to prove they belong in the sport’s upper echelon when they join the European road to Rugby World Cup 2015 this weekend, reports the competition's official website reports. The Black Devils have plenty to prove after winning promotion to Division 1A of the European Nations Cup for the first time, where they will play over the next two years, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, as well as defending champions and first opponents Georgia. McClintock has reason to be confident after winning the Emirates Airline Cup of Nations in Dubai, where his side saw off Hong Kong and Zimbabwe following a comfortable 94-3 defeat of the United Arab Emirates last month. But Georgia will provide a new degree of competition, and Belgium will need to up its game. Born in Toulon to a Scottish father, McClintock knows first-hand that his team will be up against it when they take on Georgia in Brussels on Saturday. The Lelos’ size and experience – after three Rugby World Cups and with players competing in Europe’s top leagues – is a big ask for any newcomer at this level. Belgian rugby has made some notable contributions to elite sport, however – International Olympic Committee chairman Jacques Rogge is a notable former player, while England and British & Irish Lions centre John Raphael was born in Brussels – but is yet to step into the spotlight full-time. In recent seasons there have been major inroads, with Saracens and Stade Français opting to stage Heineken Cup matches in Belgium, and McClintock hopes that his men can make a further dent by securing their European Nations Cup future amid the scramble to qualify for England 2015.