Rugby League Deutschland has hailed the success of the Widnes St Maries tour last weekend, with the Englishmen held to a creditable 44-26 victory in Heidelberg, and the visit increasing the growing interest in the sport in Germany.
German skipper Yassin Ayachi was very happy with his side’s performance: “I thought we did extremely well with so many young players, who all did a great job. I´m proud that we could turn in such a good performance against a well established and physically strong English side. Many thanks to Widnes St. Maries for coming over and now we are all looking forward to more rugby league.”
St Maries official Dan Gilmore thought the trip, the first by a foreign club to Germany, extremely worthwhile, and was suitably impressed by the standard of their opponents: “The Germans were a credit to themselves and their country. They played really hard and fair,” he said.
Ayachi, who leads the Heidelberg Lions club in this year’s Bundesliga, played for Germany in 2011, but many of the newer players are among the first crop of Germans who have been able to play domestic football before tasting representative honours (only four of the selection played in Germany’s opening two European Shield fixtures). Two of these club players, Vincent Spiess and skilful hooker Ali Surer, who scored two and one try respectively, were singled out by the tourists, who suggested the latter, especially, would be well suited to a stint in England. Rugby League Deutschland will now begin the search for clubs to take four young German players.
The Bundesliga, at its halfway mark with Baden Pirates leading the table with three wins from three, continued with Heidelberg Hornets losing 12-8 to Baden-Wurrtemberg Espoirs on Wednesday. The big double header on 23 June, when the two strongest sides, the Pirates and the Heidelberg Lions go head to head, will be a possible grand final dress rehearsal.
Unfortunately, Calbach Racoons, situated to the north of Baden Wurttemberg, the region where the other five clubs are based, has indicated it will not be able to fulfil all of its fixtures after two difficult camapigns in Hessen. But the total numbers of Germans playing rugby league is at its highest, and increasing at all levels.
Having fielded the first under-16s sides last year, Germany will travel to Italy next month with an under-18 national team to play a curtain raiser before Germany’s Shield match, before welcoming the Serbian under-16s in August for a two-match series.
“I’m extremely happy with the progress,” said a happy Germany Development Manager Uwe Jansen. “All the players want more rugby league and are eager to complete the rest of the season and play out the final. There’s no way back – rugby league has landed in Germany now.”
BUNDESLIGA SELECTION
Bender, Bayer, Ayachi, Van Skywark, Retzmann, Stockert, Wetzel, Sürer, Schäfer, Marin, Geibel, Spies, Klein, Schoengen, Roczyn, Doughton, Lortz, Lulu.