Wins over both Serbia and the Netherlands mean they have already clinched the top two places in their preliminary group and will now join Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Lebanon in the main European qualification event.

Georgia opened with a 45-10 victory over Serbia in Belgrade before defeating the Netherlands 57-16 in front of a crowd of nearly 11,000 in Tbilisi.

Russia, who took part in the 2000 World Cup, also beat Serbia in Belgrade, winning 44-6, after opening their campaign with a 40-14 victory in Holland.

Georgia and Russia will meet each other in their final group match in Moscow later this month to decide who goes through in top spot.

The winners will join Wales and Scotland in Group A of the European Nations Cup, while the losers will take on Ireland and Lebanon in Group B.

Winners of those two groups will then qualify for the World Cup, which takes place in Australia.

The two group runners-up will have another chance to qualify. They will play off for the final spot against the third-place team in the Pacific group and the winners of the Atlantic group.

The Pacific group features Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and Cook Islands, while West Indies, Japan, South Africa and the USA make up the Atlantic group.