In June 2004 the Georgia Rugby League (GRL) was incorporated, and recognised by the State Sports Ministry.

After winning a position to compete in the 2005 European Nations Cup, Georgia performed admirably against Russia, going down 48 to 14.

A subsequent investigation discovered that Georgia had actually forfeited the match because their players were representing the rugby union team.

Georgia were found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute, ejected from the competition and banned from RLIF events for two years; Russia were awarded the fixture 24–0.

For matches played by the Soviet Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States, see Russia national rugby league team