Veteran Anjo Buckman was one of the pillars of the team in Edmonton. Photo (c) Perlich

It’s been two turbulent weeks for the DRV team in Canada. The World Series premiere was something special for everyone on the team, but above all it was a chance to prove that you can stay at this level. The team has topped Edmonton with impressive victories over Great Britain and the United States.

The Seven Aces of the DRV Wolfpack don’t have much time to celebrate anyway, even if the coronavirus conditions in hotspot Alberta allowed it. At 4:30 on a Monday morning, the team bus was waiting for Carlos Soteras-Merz & Co. – the long and arduous journey back through Toronto for the team, which had just hours before hit one of the most dramatic victories ever. The history of the artificial green team at Commonwealth Stadium.

Berlin’s Chris Umeh played a decisive role in a stunning 24:19 win over USA after a few minutes of extra time. First Umeh defended on the defensive and prevented a winning effort for the American boys on his own goal, then he was the buyer of Mansa Sita’s decisive pass, which Umeh took into the American boys’ in-goal.

The excitement in the German team knew no bounds and the other DRV players almost rushed to celebrate and celebrate the experience. “We knew we had such an achievement,” said captain Carlos Soteres-Merz after the TR. He also told the team that sometimes the only thing missing is the belief that they can play with these teams and not the sportsmanship.

99 Balloons of Nena on the public address system for Anjo Buckman’s decisive effort against Great Britain

Against Kenya in the quarter-finals, the German team was clearly inferior in the first round, mainly due to the world-class team’s incredible physical style of play, but of course also to the confidence. This changed in the second round: the DRV team was able to make three quick tries and even have a chance for extra time if the referee still had the DRV team’s penalty kick, which Phil Skaseny hit straight from the boundary. was not put out. Play Play.

Nevertheless, victories against Team GB – after all two finalists in two tournaments in Canada – and against the Americans in Edmonton are absolute charms for the German team, who, among other things, became Basti van der Bosch (father to father). is based). For the first time) Robert Haase (taking a professional break) and Sebastian Fromm (currently concentrating on studying medicine) had to do without.

The younger generation around Umeh and Allerman showed the class needed at this stage. Among the invitational teams in this year’s World Series, the DRV team was the best ever and was able to overtake Spain, the World Series core team, in the settlement of two tournaments. In terms of future goals, it gives hope.

Niklas Koch’s effort against the United States made it to World Rugby’s all-highlights video

Whatever World Series next year looks like, the German team has left an excellent calling card in Canada, so hopefully World Rugby officials won’t leave the Wolfpack again when it comes to restructuring the World Series.

Whatever the World Series looks like in the coming season, the next big target is the 2022 World Cup in Cape Town, which is now only a year away. Having one of the 24 best teams in the world at Blitzbock’s home stadium should be the next intermediate step for Wolfpack, even if qualification from Europe is likely to be more difficult again than elsewhere.

The German team can then build on Canada’s experience and belief in front of 60,000 spectators in a spectacular stadium just off the Atlantic. Now you know you’re not out of space one floor up.