Rugby League Deutschland has declared itself satisfied with the results following a busy weekend of activity in Germany. A training camp, keenly monitored by head coach Dan Stocks and his assistant, Benedikt Rehm, the association’s AGM and the belated Bundesliga kick off, which was delayed due to the bad weather in central Europe, all contributed to a hectic but productive two days.
“I was very proud to see the clear direction in which German rugby league is heading,” said RLD president Max Schoengen. “The advances we are making both on and off the field are really promising. All the new interest and enthusiasm was a great pleasure to see.”
Twenty-eight players attended the national team camp: 18 from Karlsruhe, six from Callbach, two from Cologne and two from Heidelberg. Stocks and Rehm were impressed by the skills of the players over the weekend.
“The training sessions were really useful,” said Stocks, who is plotting Germany’s preparation for the new look European Shield, which kicks off in May with two home matches in Germany. “The current national team players looked really good and were strong in the Bundesliga match, which was good to see. I think the new players valued the experience greatly.”
The morning session was followed by the Bundesliga kickoff between the Baden Pirates and the Callbach Racoons. Baden, led on the field by new player-coach Christoph Wolf, a graduate from Germany’s first local coaching course in Heidelberg, took control against a brave Callbach team including Thomas Isaak, Germany’s international player of the year in 2011. After two minutes, Baden opened the score with the first try from Pancho Stojanov. An American nuclear scientist, Stojanov amassed six tries in a commanding personal performance. The Pirates were unrelenting in the second half, with Callbach scoring a late consolation through 20-year-old East German Otto Lames from Dresden in a 60-12 rout.
On Sunday RLD held its 2012 AGM in Heidelberg. The general sense of optimism marked all the agenda items, with the assembly declaring that the first steps have been made to secure a healthy future for RLD. One particular item that drew praise was the rapidly expanding youth work.