(CNN) You need only look to Graham Rowntree's ears -- gnarled and swollen from his days as a front row forward -- to see how the game of rugby has weathered him.

In rugby terms, the 47-year-old is a "been there, done that" sort of man. As a player and a coach, his storied career has taken him to four World Cups with England and five tours with the British and Irish Lions.

His 17-year playing career saw him win 54 caps for England and play 398 times for Leicester Tigers -- quite a feat in the modern era.

You'd think, then, that when it comes to rugby, few things would surprise Rowntree. But his latest career move to Georgia as a forwards coach has proved otherwise.

Georgia has a reputation for rearing some of the biggest, brawniest forwards the game has to offer, but even Rowntree was taken aback by what he observed in strength and conditioning sessions.

"I'll be sat on a bike in the corner and I can't believe how much weight they can lift. I've never seen anything like it," the Englishman tells CNN.

"Some of the weights! Their DNA must be incredible. I honestly can't believe how strong they are across the squad."

Graham Rowntree is enjoying his time as a forwards coach with Georgia.

As a front row forward, Rowntree never scrummaged against a Georgian pack ("thank God I didn't," he laughs), but he has long been aware of The Lelos' firepower upfront.

It was this reputation that first drew him to the job back in September last year, with an eye to bolstering Georgia ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

"I'll be honest with you, when I first met [prop] Davit Kubriashvili in October, it was a bit embarrassing really because I've always been an admirer of him playing in France," says Rowntree.

"I felt like a small child shaking his hand when I met him in October. To work with him was special. But the set piece, the scrum and the maul, I've been a fan of how Georgia operate."

'Proud, hardworking people'

In his first few months, Rowntree has seen The Lelos -- the national team's nickname derived from lelo burti, a traditional Georgian game similar to rugby -- record wins over Samoa and Tonga, but lose to Italy in Florence.

Based out of Tbilisi during international windows, he spends intervening periods in France traveling between the clubs where Georgian players are based.

Rowntree's taken to life in Georgia quickly, both as a rugby coach and a tourist.

"I love it. It suits me perfectly," he says. "It's a cracking country. I've only been to Tbilisi, but as a city it's got a nice blend of new and old, modern and old architecture.

"The people are very warm, there are some unbelievable restaurants and wines -- believe me, I've tried to taste them all.

"It's not what you'd imagine as a former Russian country, it's beautiful. The people themselves are just so warm, but very proud, hardworking people."

The Georgian and English scrums pack down against each other during a training session in London last year.

Rugby is still something of a young sport in Georgia, but its recent growth has been impressive.

The Lelos have quickly outgrown some of their traditional competitors, winning eight of the last nine Rugby Europe Championship titles against the likes of Germany, Russia, Spain, and Belgium, with Romania providing the stiffest opposition.

Milton Haig has been the country's head coach since 2012. He has long been vocal about welcoming Georgia into the Six Nations with Europe's so-called tier one sides, but while the door there remains firmly shut for now, the New Zealander is confident that the tournament might expand or incorporate promotion and relegation after 2021.

"It's nice to have one tier one per year," Haig tells CNN. "But really does that help us progress?

"Because you play one game, then you don't really get an opportunity to review that and go back in and play the same type of team the following week to see if your performance has improved.

"There's no disrespect to the other tier twos that we play because they're obviously competitive matches, but we kind of think that for us to take the next step definitely we need more tier one games."

Milton Haig oversees Georgia's scrum practice.

World Cup 'chaos'

Georgia has businessman Bidzina Ivanishvilli to thank for its rugby boom -- a former Prime Minister and, according to Forbes , the country's richest man with an estimated value of $4.6 billion.

His passion for rugby has seen investment in the sport, allowing a country that reportedly used to conduct scrum practice by pushing Soviet-era tractors to develop its infrastructure at an elite and grassroots level.

Photos: The Rugby World Cup -- a history England, 2015 – New Zealand became the first side to retain the Rugby World Cup after defeating Australia 34-17 in the final at Twickenham Stadium. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: The Rugby World Cup -- a history New Zealand, 2011 – The All Blacks ended a 24-year drought when they lifted the Web Ellis trophy on home soil in 2011. Here, Ma'a Nonu greets raucous crowds during the victory parade in Wellington. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: The Rugby World Cup -- a history France, 2007 – South Africa claimed its second title in France in 2007, defeating England 6-15 at the Stade de France in Paris. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: The Rugby World Cup -- a history Australia, 2003 – England became the first -- and to this day the only -- northern hemisphere side to win the World Cup in 2003 by defeating Australia 20-17 in Sydney. Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson struck the winning drop goal in extra-time. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: The Rugby World Cup -- a history Wales, 1999 – Australia's second World Cup victory in 1999 came eight years after its first. A 35-12 victory over France saw John Eales' side lift the trophy in Cardiff. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: The Rugby World Cup -- a history South Africa, 1995 – It's one of rugby's most iconic images -- South African President Nelson Mandela presenting the World Cup to Springbok captain Francois Pienaar in 1995. The victory helped unite the nation shortly after the end of apartheid. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: The Rugby World Cup -- a history England, 1991 – Australia first tasted World Cup victory in 1991 after narrowly defeating England 12-6 in the final. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: The Rugby World Cup -- a history New Zealand, 1987 – The All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup on home soil in 1987. Captain David Kirk kisses the trophy following victory over France in Auckland. Hide Caption 8 of 8

It was the 2015 World Cup that Haig says gave rugby another lift in Georgia as The Lelos secured their spot at the 2019 tournament after victories against Tonga and Namibia.

"You're always able to walk down the street and one or two people would recognize you and ask you for a photo, but certainly after 2015 players and myself were walking round the streets and it was just chaos," says Haig. "It was quite palpable.

"It was interesting because we played New Zealand at the last World Cup. What [Georgian fans] couldn't understand was that New Zealand was just a small country of the same population. So we should be able to beat them, without the real understanding that New Zealand were the current world champions and the number one team in the world.

"That's just part of our role to educate people and introduce the game properly."

'I want to scare people'

Georgia will negotiate a pool with Australia, Wales, Fiji, and Uruguay at this year's World Cup in Japan, which is where Rowntree, part of the England set-up that crashed out of the competition on home soil at the group stages in 2015, can bring his wealth of experience.

"What I have learnt is that World Cups are about pressure," he says. "I've been there with England myself. The tier one nations are under incredible pressure at World Cups when they play against the likes of Georgia. The pressure's on them, and that's a real strength that we have to play to.

Georgia's players celebrate defeating Tonga at the 2015 World Cup.

"I learnt a lot [in 2015]. You learn a lot about yourself and team dynamics under pressure like that ... I'm hardened from it. I'll be passing on every ounce of my knowledge, learnings and energy to the Georgians. I want us to be spoken about at this World Cup. I want to scare people."

While The Lelos have always brought solid forward play to the World Cup, Haig is the first to admit that the team's style has at times become one dimensional and predictable. He's worked hard to change that by honing the team's catch-pass skills and developing a tactical kicking game.

"Really our game was based around the forwards," he says. "I don't think that's going to be the same in Japan. One of the things now is we've developed a lot of young players. The team likes to play with a bit more width."

Photos: RWC 2019 venues New Zealand beat Australia 34-17 to win its second straight Rugby World Cup at Twickenham Stadium, London in October 2015. Four years on, the focus will shift to Japan, where 12 stadiums throughout the country will host the tournament from September 20 to November 2. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: International Stadium Yokohama

Capacity: 72,327

Where: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture

Matches: New Zealand vs South Africa; Ireland vs Scotland; England vs France; Japan vs Scotland; Semifinals 1 & 2; Final

Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Tokyo Stadium

Capacity: 49,970

Where: Tokyo Metropolitan

Matches: Japan vs Romania; France vs Argentina; Australia vs Wales; England v Argentina; New Zealand vs Namibia; Quarterfinals 2 & 4; Bronze final Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: City of Toyota Stadium

Capacity: 45,000

Where: Toyota, Aichi Prefecture

Matches: Wales vs Georgia; South Africa vs Namibia; Japan vs Samoa; New Zealand vs Italy

Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa

Capacity: 50,889

Where: Shizuoka Prefecture

Matches: Japan vs Ireland; South Africa vs Italy; Scotland vs Romania; Australia vs Georgia Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Hanazono Rugby Stadium

Capacity: 32,228

Where: Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture

Matches: Italy vs Namibia; Argentina vs Tonga; Georgia vs Fiji; USA vs Tonga Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Kumamoto Stadium

Capacity: 32,228

Where: Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture

Matches: France vs Tonga; Wales vs Uruguay Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Oita Stadium

Capacity: 40,000

Where: Oita Prefecture

Matches: New Zealand vs Canada; Australia vs Uruguay; Wales vs Fiji; Quarterfinals 1 & 3 Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Kumagaya Rugby Stadium

Capacity: 25,600

Where: Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture

Matches: Russia vs Samoa; Georgia vs Uruguay; Argentina vs USA Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium

Capacity: 16,334

Where: Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture

Matches: Fiji vs Uruguay; Namibia vs Canada Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Sapporo Dome

Capacity: 41,410

Where: Sapporo City

Matches: Australia vs Fiji; England vs Tonga Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Kobe Misaki Stadium

Capacity: 30,132

Where: Kobe City

Matches: England vs USA; Scotland vs Samoa; Ireland vs Russia; South Africa vs Canada Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venues What: Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium

Capacity: 21,562

Where: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture

Matches: Italy vs Canada; France vs USA; Ireland vs Samoa Hide Caption 13 of 13

Haig's contract with Georgia expires after the 2019 World Cup and he will make Japan a long term home as head coach of Top League side Suntory Songoliath

But Georgia is the country he and his family have called home for the past seven years, and his two teenage daughters now speak Georgian fluently. He'll leave the country with a heavy heart.

"We're having and we've had a fantastic experience in Georgia," he says, "and we'll never forget that."