Georgia's opening round upset win over Tonga has them well-placed to qualify automatically for the next World Cup and could mean some leading players are put on ice for the clash with the All Blacks on Saturday.
The All Blacks are likely to face a largely second-string Georgia side as the European minnows target their final pool match against Namibia which will be crucial to retaining their Rugby World Cup status.
Already dealt a weak pool, the prospect of a weakened Georgian outfit will do little for the All Blacks' preparations for the quarter-finals with just a clash against Tonga to follow before the playoffs.
While Georgia are thrilled to be playing the world champions for the first time, it seems they have bigger things on their mind.
That's why they are likely to rest some of their top players against New Zealand in a bid to have them fresh for their final pool match against Namibia.
They have to back up from the All Blacks game just five days later to tackle the Africans.
Georgia's Kiwi coach Milton Haig has made it clear that automatic qualification for third-place finishers was "absolutely vital" for the long-term success of the World Cup and he's now in a strong position to try to accomplish that.
"Our whole energy towards this tournament for the past few years has been directed at exactly that. By doing that, we created history for ourselves. For the players for whom this is their last World Cup, they will leave a legacy for Georgia that's never been done before," Haig told World Rugby.
"It's a vital part of our development not to have to worry about the qualification process, because we can start to work on bringing our younger players through."
Georgia finished fourth in their pool at the last World Cup in New Zealand and had to come through the European qualification process for this tournament, something they only achieved in March last year.
For the moment, Haig insists all the energies are concentrated on the historic match with the All Blacks in Cardiff on Saturday (8am NZ time).
