A Weekend In Köln

Last weekend me and my family ventured to Köln, Germany with the Bath RFC U16s (my brother's team) on their rugby tour. Over the course of the weekend the team would play the Germany U16 national side, Rottweil and Frankfurt 1880. This was the first time me and my family had gone back to Germany in seven years, to say we were excited was an understatement! We were landing in Düsseldorf on the Friday night which was not far from where we used to live in Mönchengladbach and Bielefeld. We flew back via Frankfurt Airport which is so huge it might as well have been its own independent city!

Rugby in Germany though is a fairly minor sport despite being played since the 1850s. It was introduced to Germany when it was brought across by affluent English schoolboys that attended private German grammar schools in the German Federation. The first German rugby team to be set up was Neuenheim College (now called Heidelberg College) in Heidelberg around 1850. The oldest clubs however are DSV 78 Hannover and SC Frankfurt 1880 which were formed in 1878 and 1880 respectively. The Deutscher Rugby-Verband (DRV) was set up in 1900 and governs the sport in Germany followed by the first club competition being set up in 1909. The national team was formed in 1927 and played it's first international on 17th April in Stade de Colombes in Paris. Germany lost 5-30 to France but won the return fixture 17-16 on the 15th May in Frankfurt. During the second world war era rugby came under the Nazi sport regime and declined. Now on the up, rugby in Germany is now becoming increasingly popular with the national side facing the likes of Romania, Russia and Georgia on a yearly basis.

My brother's first game took place at the Höhenberg Stadion against the Germany U16s. Despite only having played together for five months the German team looked slick and impressive, they even had a player who was easily over six foot four inches! However, that did not deter the Bath boys. They walked proudly out of the tunnel and bellowed out God Save The Queen to a nearly full stadium! The boys played fast paced and tactical rugby scoring four tries in the first half. The Germans but up a dogged defensive with some good attacking play in the second half but could not break the blue, black and white defensive line. The game was full of sportsmanship and respect which was great to see and Bath came out victors 34-10. In a raucous post match reception the boy made firm friends with their opposition too.

That evening we ventured into the Altstadt (Old Town) and visited a traditional german bierhaus. It was all done in the traditional german manner where Kölsch (a beer that is a specialty of Köln) was served and the amount you had was recorded on a beer mat and that was added to your total when it came to paying the bill! After some good food and a lovely walk past the cathedral we were set up for the next action packed day.

The next day the boys played two games at Rugby Park Köln against Rottweil and Frankfurt 1880. Bath won comfortably against Rottweil, running out 36-0 winners. Frankfurt 1880 we were informed were currently undefeated and were considered the best youth team in the country. The game was fast paced and very physical from both sides, with Frankfurt putting up a brilliant effort in both attack and defence. However, the blue, black and white tide proved too much in the end and Bath won 27-5.

The boys undefeated tour was noticed by the professional Bath Rugby side, tweeting;

There was also a Bath Chronicle article too! http://www.bathchronicle.co.uk/bath-rfc-go-unbeaten-on-historic-tour-to-germany/story-30201875-detail/story.html#WoGG21Pw2uRadcA0.01

At the end of the day I am immensely proud of my brother and he made the most of this amazing opportunity. I could not help but feel emotional when he strode onto the pitch. His rugby has come along fantastically since joining Bath and participating in Lewis Moody's Mad Dog Academy and I wish him all the success in his future rugby endeavours!

As for me I was just happy to spend time with my family in a country that gave us so much over five years. It felt like I went home, it did not feel like a different country at all. I want to say thank you to all at Bath RFC U16s and most of all my parents for letting participate and witness this little piece of history!

Team Photo Credits go to the Bath Chronical

DRV and Germany Rugby Logos rights go to the DRV