Dixon is determined to lead Georgia to a good result against his native Scotland © Getty Images

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Head coach Richie Dixon has described his "warrior" Georgia squad as "made for rugby" ahead of Wednesday's World Cup Pool B clash with his native Scotland in Invercargill.

Georgia open their World Cup campaign at Rugby Park Stadium against a Scotland side which recorded an unconvincing 34-24 win over Romania on Saturday.

Dixon, who was Scotland coach in the mid-1990s, said: "Genetically, I think they are made for rugby. They are warrior-type players. The people are fully behind this team. They realise that rugby has become a window to the world for Georgia."

Georgia pushed Ireland close in the 2007 tournament and four years on are expected to threaten the more established nations, like Scotland. But Dixon anticipates Romania's performance on Saturday will act as a spark of improvement for Andy Robinson's Scotland.

"I believe Andy and his boys will take that as a wake-up call and they will target us as a team that they will want to put on a much stronger display against," he said.

Dixon remains a patriotic Scotsman, but he is looking forward to taking charge of Georgia in a World Cup following a run of eight successive wins.

"In today's professional world, you can't change your heart," he said. "Obviously, I'm a Scottish boy but, when I'm with the Georgian boys, I'm 100% with them. It will be another international game."