The build up to the RBS Six Nations kick-off may be stealing the limelight in Europe, but for Germany, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Russia and Spain the quest to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2011 begins in earnest this weekend with the resumption of the European Nations Cup.
The opening two matches in Division 1 took place in November, Spain losing to Russia and then beating Germany, but for Georgia, Portugal and Romania the campaign to secure one of two automatic berths in New Zealand starts now.
For Georgia, a veteran now of two Rugby World Cups, that means a trip to the Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark in Heidelberg on Saturday to face Germany, who are back in the top division after an absence of over two decades.
For Germany’s Bodo Sieber the match takes on extra significance. Sieber was a member of his country’s Under 19 side that lost 5-3 to their Georgian counterparts in the IRB/FIRA Under 19 World Championship in Toulouse to miss out on promotion to Division A.
What might have been ...
“It’s not just the game we lost, it’s an opportunity that we lost, the make or break type games every player has in his career,” Sieber told Total Rugby.
“If we had actually beaten them next year the new generation of Under 19s would have played at a much higher level, and stayed there. That is what Georgia did and it was probably what changed things around for them.
“You can’t help but look back and think that could have been us.
“We are talking about a long way round to get back to them [Georgia] and it would be silly to say this is like a score to settle because that is not what it is.
“This is basically where we would like to be, where Georgia is now. So what we want to do is earn respect in the league and keep earning the respect of the German Rugby viewing public, who have been great.”
Sieber and his team-mates know the size of the task awaiting them with the visit of reigning European Nations Cup champions but, while their opening 22-11 loss to Spain last year still rankles, it has also given them the belief that they can compete at this level.
“We are still a bit sore about that because, as has been reported, it was very close - much closer than the score might suggest and really we had them backs against the wall most of the second half.
“I think two silly penalties on our side, one we got a yellow card with, and two more for us and we would have won the game and that would have been fantastic for us.
David and Goliath
“All the talk now is we can be competitive in this league because knowing that Spain have beaten the likes of Georgia at home and then Portugal. However Georgia is different to Spain.
“Georgia are going to be a very well drilled side, they are all professionals playing in France. Their coach Tim Lane was the Wallabies assistant coach when they won the World Cup so they have fantastic structures behind the team and remember they almost caused an upset in the World Cup against Ireland.
“To be honest it’s a David and Goliath match. We are the underdog and what we want to do is just play with our hearts and with a lot of discipline, not give away silly turn-overs or make silly mistakes, make it hard for them to make points.”
With a crowd of around 10,000 people expected at the Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark for Germany’s first home match back in the top flight – often referred to as the Six Nations B – Sieber has his fingers crossed that his side can extend their impressive unbeaten home record that stretches back to November 2000.
“That is absolutely huge for us to be unbeaten for such a long time, although you have to consider the quality of opposition during those years,” added Sieber.
Staying up the priority for Germany
“We played Tunisia, Ukraine, Holland, Belgium and Poland – not quite in the league of Romania and Georgia, but we did beat Spain at home quite convincingly and just lost on aggregate the year they got promoted to the A Division and they managed to stay up.
“It is possible for us. Realistically what we are trying to do is just win two or three games in the two years and be better than the bottom side to stay up. We can’t expect to barge in and turn everything around, it is not going to happen.”
The drive to realise their goals and create the platform for the next generation of German players to compete in the top tier still burns brightly though and even if they fail to upset Georgia this weekend, they will be just as determined to beat Romania at home and Portugal away over the next two weekends.
Romania and Portugal themselves will be looking to go into those games with Germany on the back of victories after travelling to Spain and hosting Russia respectively this weekend.
Portugal lost both their meetings with Russia in the two-year competition which ended last summer, including 21-13 in Lisbon. Romania by contrast enjoyed a winning trip to Spain with a 17-11 victory in Madrid last February.
