Germany assembles squad for ‘strong’ Simbas

Germany Head Coach Kobus Potgieter declared Kenya will pose a strong opposition for his charges as he named the squad that will take on the Simbas on May 27.

The squad features a blend of youth and experience as the Germans get set to descend in Nairobi for the Tatu City Series.

“We will travel to Nairobi with a strong squad because we know that Kenya is by no means an easy opponent.

“They are competing for a place in the World Cup, they have already defeated Spain and Portugal in the recent past. So we must be very well prepared if we want to survive,” Potgieter told the official German Rugby Union website.

Potgieter retained a majority of the team that competed in the recently concluded 2017 Rugby Europe Championship where they finished fifth overall but pulled off a memorable 41-38 upset result over regular Rugby World Cup campaigners Romania.

He welcomes back the experienced Michael Poppmeier from injury but still has doubts about Damien Tussac may be involved in action for his club side Castres who play in the French Top 14 and who are still in contention for the overall title after reaching the playoffs.

Commenting on the call ups handed to Germany U20 internationals Pirmin Stöhr and Ben Ellermann, Potgieter said, “We want to give some younger players the opportunity to be part of the national team, to gain experience and to see how we train and prepare.

“Stöhr and Ellermannare some of these players who are future prospects but already in a position to play at this level. Luis Ball, who is also a member of the U20s is still an U18 player and while he will definitely not see action in Kenya.”

He has also handed debuts to Felicien Vergnon and Marcel Henn and said,  “Felicien has been on our radar for a long time and like Henn, he has already made good impressions in the first training sessions and could ensure that the German 15s squad gets more depth,” Potgieter underscored.

Meanwhile, the Simbas continued with their training camp in Cape Town, South Africa ahead of the clash and lost 26-12 to Durbell RFC in their latest training match on Tuesday evening.

Speaking after the match, Team Manager Simiyu Wangila said, “Our principal aim was to test our structures and various playing combinations.”

The team will hold a joint training session with Currie Cup side Western Province on Wednesday before training with South African Super Rugby Franchise side Stormers on Thursday.

Germany squad

Sean Armstrong, Raynor Parkinso, Timo Vollenkemper, Kehoma Brenner, Jaco Otto, Jarrid Els, Harris Aounallah, Dale Garner, Michael Poppmeier, Jörn Schröder, Pirmin Stöhr, Luis Ball, Antony Dickinson, Chris Howells, Ben Ellermann, Daniel Cook, Jamie Murphy, Marcel Coetzee, Erik Marks, Damien Tussac, Tim Menzel, Mikael Tyumenev, Julius Nostadt, Christopher Hilsenbeck, Dasch Barber, Samy Füchsel, Mathieu Ducau, Felicien Vergnon, Marcel Henn

Non travelling reserves: Sebastian Robl , Felix Lammers , Mark Sztyndera

-Report by KRU.