Germany has named a 28-man train-on squad for this year’s European Shield. Markus Keinhorst will travel over to link up with his three other world record-breaking brothers, Nick, Jimmy and Kristian, the quartet holding the Guinness world record for most siblings playing in a single international game of rugby league. A number of players are looking to gain their tenth international cap, including national team co-captains Bene Rehm and Kristian Keinhorst as well as brother Nick Keinhorst. There are nine new players added to the squad who are hoping to gain their first cap including Southampton Spitfires player Andrew Hoggins and Heidelberg’s Yassin Karachi.

Head coach Dan Stocks heaped praise on the work of the coaches in Germany who have all been working hard to bring rugby league to more and more Germans. “We have had great numbers at the recent trial games versus Serbia and the British Army and this has allowed me the opportunity to take a good look at some new players. Without the work of people like Bob Doughton, Max Schoengen and Uwe Jansen, Germany wouldn’t be able to choose its train on squad from such a large pool of players”.

But the 29-year-old Hemel Stag played down talk of the team being arguably the strongest squad Rugby League Deutschland has assembled, but conceded it was full of experience. “Define strongest?” he said. “It’s the most experienced squad we’ve named. Nineteen players have played for the national team before. We don’t know what to expect from Norway and Malta as we haven’t played them before so we’re going to concentrate on improving our international environment and of course, for our domestic German players to put in a strong performance.”

Germany are hoping to go one step further than they have in the past by winning the Shield, after finishing runners up in 2010, 2008 and 2007.

GERMANY TRAIN-ON SQUAD
Christian Gabriel, Christoph Huber (Bavaria region); Angelo Hall, Jacob Handy, Thomas Isaak, Artur Schein, Max Schoengen (Calbach Racoons); Yassin Karachi, Bene Rehm (Heidelberg); Dan Stocks (Hemel Stags); Benny Lauer, Anselm Wagner (Hochspeyer Sharks); Mawuli Amefia, Sebastian Roczyn (Karlsruhe); Kristian Keinhorst, Nick Keinhorst (Leeds Akkies); Jimmy Keinhorst (Leeds Met); Markus Keinhorst (Meraloma Rugby Union); Guillaume Stoecklin (Montpellier); Ben Behr-Heyder, Liam Doughton, Max Doughton, Fabrice Fehlmann, Max Froeschner,  Kyrill Goncharov, Nico Koch (Rheinland Reds); Andrew Hoggins (Southampton Spitfires); Paul Shzehofner  (Telford Raiders)