West Germany national rugby union team
 |
|
| Emblem | Bundesadler (Federal Eagle) |
|---|---|
| Union | Deutscher Rugby-Verband |
| Head coach | Kobus Potgieter |
| Captain | Carlos Bolts Horn |
| Most caps | Alexander Widiker (40) |
| Top scorer | Raynor Parkinson (143) |
| Top try scorer | Tim Kasten (19) |
| World Rugby ranking | |
| Current | 22 (as of 6 March 2017) |
| Highest | 22 (2017) |
| Lowest | 37 (2011) |
| First international | |
|
France 30 − 5 Germany (17 April 1927) |
|
| Biggest win | |
|
Germany 108 − 0 Serbia and Montenegro (12 November 2005) |
|
| Biggest defeat | |
|
Russia 89 − 6 Germany (16 April 2000) |
|
| World Cup | |
| Appearances | 0 |
| Website | www.rugby-verband.de |
The Germany national rugby union team currently plays at the second level of European rugby but is yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. The national team first played in 1927, with rugby union in Germany being administered by the German Rugby Federation (Deutscher Rugby-Verband).
Germany competes in the Championship Division, the top tier of the Rugby Europe International Championships, the senior men's rugby tournament for European nations below the Six Nations. With the exception of some players who play in France, the German team is still largely an amateur side.
Germany's greatest achievement in men's rugby is arguably the silver medal won at the 1900 Olympic Games.
Germany's declared aim was originally to qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, but it has since lowered this ambition to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The German rugby union team's history began on 17 April 1927, when they played France in Paris, losing 5–30. The team established itself in their early years as number two in continental Europe, behind the French. They played 14 tests against their neighbour before the Second World War, winning two of them. As an indication of the team's strength, they did not lose to any team but France until 1937, when Italy beat them 9–7. Because Germany never played any of the Home nations, it is difficult to judge the true strength of the team from that era.
With the outbreak of the war in 1939, rugby came to a halt and Germany only played one more game, against Italy, in 1940. Germany lost almost a complete first XV in the war, and thus came out of it as a much weaker side, never able to repeat its pre-war successes.
After an absence of 12 years, Germany, now considerably reduced in size and under the name of Federal Republic of Germany, played its first post-war international in 1952, beating Belgium 16–9. At the same time, in the Eastern part of the country, the German Democratic Republic, the German Democratic Republic national rugby union team was formed. The DRV continued to offer the East German DTSB to play a rugby friendly, but this was always declined by the East.
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