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Six-man Germany keep dream alive with QF win in Munich
Germany kept their hopes of making the HSBC SVNS promotional play-off in Madrid alive despite playing much of their 19-17 quarter-final win over Kenya with just six players.
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Germany’s Ben Ellerman copped a red card for an illegal fend on a Kenyan player as he made his way towards the try line, leaving his teammates facing an uphill battle to book a semi-final spot.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Germany came from behind to secure a win against the African side, with a try from Jakob Dipper and a brace from Makonnen Amekuedi getting them over the line.
Germany came into the tournament in fourth place, but Hong Kong China – who currently sit in 5th on the same Challenger Series but with an inferior points difference – kept the pressure on their hosts when they eased past Tonga in their quarter-final in the game before.
“It feels amazing,” John Dawe told RugbyPass pitchside in Munich. “We said in the team talk at the start, no matter what, it’s just about heart and pride for this game. We knew obviously that Kenya are an extremely good outfit, so it was literally just heart and dig deep and hopefully the result came our way, which was amazing in the end.
“Unfortunately that’s rugby [the red card]. Things like that happen and obviously, he didn’t mean to do that… But to be able to do that [the win] is amazing.”
Germany kept their hopes of winning the Munich Challenger Series round alive and will now play Hong Kong China in the semi-final, the result of which will decide who makes the Madrid play-offs.
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“It gets more spicy now as obviously it goes down to head to head, the semi-final is technically our final for Madrid, because we’re against Hong Kong China in the semi, so literally we’re focussed on that now and going to give everything to win that game.”
Chris Umeh was equally stoked as his side dug deep to bag the win.
“It’s all for the team. It’s great that the boys had each other’s back. It’s a team sport. Kenya was more like individual players, but as you can see, even though we were with six guys [due to the red card] we bonded with each other and we did a great job in the end to keep the composure, got the try at the end and the mistakes of Kenya led us to victory.
“Germany hasn’t ever been in a world series, just invitational tournaments. It’s our dream. We train each day, we all are in the same camp. So much hard work has been in these seven months, and we’ll get the victory, I’m sure.”
The message within the squad is to keep doing what they’re doing.
“Just keep playing as we do. Keep the composure. The tries will come. The opposition will make mistakes and we live for that.
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“Every family is here, contributing to our performance. It’s in the heart. It’s such an amazing feeling to have the crowd at our back.”
Comments on RugbyPass
These are the guys that do the cohesion predictions? That will be a very interesting review and they have likely already told the Crusaders of their expections for them given such a young and inexperienced squad without all their injured and departed players. I wonder if any of that will get leaked out, perhaps only if the cohesion metric predicted such a season? Actually even that would like badly upon the backoffice, I suspect it likely we will never know what Gain Line Analytics made of this season now! Unless the PUs put its publication to vote?
10 Go to commentsCurrently across the super franchises the forwards choices for Robertson is in the luxury of the competitions depth for selection . However same can’t be said regarding selection of the backs, especially the inside backs. I believe that’s where his dilemma will be. If he can’t get mouanga for the start then he should forget him and move on.
27 Go to commentsIf they had another round up their sleeve then no doubt the sadas wouldv been top8. I say leave things alone and get into the next season I rekon the turn around will carry on.
10 Go to commentsSimilar to Arran Smith in his style of application.
5 Go to commentsSave your money. Just learn from the bad stuff and play better next year. Lost loads of key players and had half the team out broken for most of the season.
10 Go to commentsJosh Ioane has been great for opposition teams all season. The sooner the Chiefs unload him to MP the better.
6 Go to commentsMunster have very good back row stocks nowadays, lots of guys with very high potential. Okeke is unlucky not to get a contract. If he came along 10 years ago, he almost certainly would have. Could be very good for Coventry.
1 Go to commentsGreat article! Love that you point out so much that is positive, and back it up with quotes and clips.
1 Go to commentsNo scapegoats. No knee-jerk reactions. Just excuses in an expensive report under file 13. I’ll give the saders some free consulting - no planning after Razor. Just let things fall flat to rebuild. Easy.
10 Go to commentsJosh Bayliss was the early sub for Barbeary
1 Go to commentsHis deficiencies in defence must be major and beyond rebuilding because on attack he has a unique set of skills matched only by a combination of Mark Telea, Shaun Stevenson and Etene Nanai Seturo. His aerial and kicking game is next level and he displays a contempt for one on one situations. We've become obsessed with our no. 11 being a power weapon ignoring the better multi faceted option. Mark Telea is helping to change that mind set, Salesi Rayasi would advance that too.
6 Go to commentsWayne barnes should join the Queen
271 Go to commentsHope both you dirty mutts get cancer and die
41 Go to commentsOqueef was on the saffa pay roll , needs his head stomped
180 Go to commentsChiefs miss a tight 5 of serious grunt. Missing Guzzlers.scrum power and the Blues have spent the last.few yrs nicking their props. Will have to start better than recent matches to stop the Reds.
6 Go to commentsWith the civil war going on over in NZR you have to wonder if these guys can afford to throw money around on consulting firms? Consultants just going to charge them thousands for the privilege of telling them that the brain drain is hurting them, they played like pork chops & maybe some insights gleaned from reading the various rugby blog posts with a couple of graphs thrown in to dicky the report up. My suggestion is they forego the consultants and get a subscription to watch the URC, English Premiership, Top14 and EPCR competitions so that they can learn a bit from all the players and coaches that have left already NZ.
10 Go to commentsI am pleased about the progress of Canada and their recent success. What concerns me slightly is the the PWR league in England has become the breeding ground for other countries’ players with nearly half of Canada’s team playing there. Long term sustainability of good international teams depends on developing their own leagues and systems. They cannot rely upon England forever.
1 Go to commentsShe has a good sense of the perfect fly half but I agree with her mother about the disfiguring tattoos. I shall watch her progress with interest.
1 Go to commentsSurprised Ireland haven’t already nabbed Rayasi. So much competition in the back three in all NZ Super teams that you need a coach who believes in you and will select you regularly.
6 Go to commentsBath Fan acting all innocent, like Hill would just walk up and casually do that without a reason too 😂
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