‘I’m probably the only one left’ – Germany ready to correct past mistakes.
Germany ready to correct past mistakes; Germany’s men’s rugby sevens team are aiming for a top four finish at the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series in Munich this weekend.
This performance was crucial for Madrid to qualify for the promotion and relegation play-off competition in the SVNS Grand Final.
In 2018, they led Japan 14–12 at the end of normal time but lost 19–14 thanks to a last-minute try. In 2017, Spain lost their qualifying final 12–7. The following year, Ireland defeated Germany 19–10 in the semi-finals to reach the final.
The cancellation of the 2021 series due to the pandemic halted their efforts and then disappointment returned in 2022 when they lost 19–15 to Uruguay in the semi-finals.
Germany is in a different position this weekend.
‘I’m probably the only one left’ – Germany ready to correct past mistakes.
Hosting the final tournament in Munich provides a home advantage and the team is focused on breaking their cycle of heartbreaks and securing a place at HSBC SVNS 2025.
“We had this generation who went through all these qualifiers but we never got to the World Series,” Clemens von Grombko told Jack Zorab on the World Rugby website this week. “The last chance for that generation was 2022. ‘I’m probably the only one left’ – Germany ready to correct past mistakes.
We were probably the best team that year, but I think [the previous failure] hurt them a little bit. In stressful situations, they kind of freeze up and don’t play as well as they could.
“As a coaching staff we probably put it a little too much on them to say ‘don’t miss again’ and they didn’t play as freely as they could have.
‘I’m probably the only one left’ – Germany ready to correct past mistakes.
“I’m probably the only one left from that staff, and we’re trying not to think about those days, we’re young and we’re trying to play the best rugby we can.”
Others carrying the same baggage as Von Grombko include players John Dow, Nicklaus Koch and Tim Lichtenberg. Everyone else is bringing a clean slate to the team mentality.
“We are aware of our potential and our opportunities,” von Grombko added. “We are not a free flowing team like France or Fiji. We have a good structure base, good skills and we work hard. We want our defense to be our calling card and then be physical in attack.”