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Germany have confirmed their Rugby Europe Championship 2026 squad with a very clear objective: build momentum through the tournament, win a play-off game if required, and avoid being dragged into the relegation fixture on Finals Day.
For Germany , this selection reflects urgency rather than long-term experimentation. After a frustrating REC 2025 campaign defined by promise without payoff, Germany are prioritising results, cohesion, and fast integration.
Last season was a difficult one to digest for Germany.
Across multiple fixtures, the Black Eagles showed:
Competitive opening phases
Improved physical parity
Moments of attacking clarity
Yet too often, those moments went unrewarded. Poor execution in key areas, lapses in discipline, and an inability to close out games turned encouraging performances into narrow defeats.
REC 2026 is about breaking that cycle.
Germany’s coaching staff have widened the selection pool, bringing in a significant group of new and emerging players — but with a clear condition:
they must be embedded immediately, not slowly phased in.
This is not a squad built for patience. It is a squad built to:
Accumulate points early
Avoid the relegation play-off
Carry confidence into the latter stages of the Championship
The goal is simple: momentum before Finals Day.
Labelled proudly as “Unsere Jungs”, this group represents the next phase of German rugby — but under pressure to deliver now.
The squad draws heavily from:
SC Frankfurt 1880
RG Heidelberg / Heidelberger RK
SC Neuenheim
Hannover 78
Alongside players based in England, Scotland, France and Italy, bringing varied rugby education into a single performance model.
Captain Justin Renc anchors a group that blends youthful energy with enough leadership to avoid instability.
Luis Ball – Watsonians FC
Tobias Bauer – Hannover 78
Dan Boer – Wimborne RFC
Nicola Breglia – L’Aquila Rugby
John Dawe – Guernsey RFC
Aiden Dixon – SC Frankfurt 1880
Darren Ferrar – UL Bohemians RFC
Jaden Gliatis – Heidelberger RK
Daniel Hamilton-St. – Loughborough University
Christopher Hennig – FC Grenoble
Christopher Howells – SC Frankfurt 1880
Shawn Ingle – Maidenhead RFC
John Ireland – Oxford Harlequins
Karl Kasper – Stade Français
Nikolai Klewinghaus – SC Neuenheim
Felix Lammers – SC Neuenheim
Eric Marks – RC Vannes
Michael McDonald – Caldy RFC
Ewan McTaggart – Sutton & Epsom RFC
Dustin Mizera – Hannover 78
Oliver Paine – SC Frankfurt 1880
Henry Pearson – Western Districts RFC
Jan Piosik – Hannover 78
Robin Plümpe – RG Heidelberg
Bader Pretorius – São Miguel Rugby
Hassan Rayan – SC Frankfurt 1880
Iestyn Rees – Nottingham RFC
Andrew Reintges – Heidelberger RK
Justin Renc (c) – TSV Handschuhsheim
Edward Shekete – Rossendale RUFC
Oliver Stein – SC Frankfurt 1880
Nikias v.d. Lohe – RG Heidelberg
Luke Wakefield – SC Neuenheim
Daniel Wolf – SC Frankfurt 1880
Leo Wolf – SC Frankfurt 1880
Cosmo Zymvragos – SC Frankfurt 1880
Germany are acutely aware of the new REC reality.
Finals Day is unforgiving. One poor campaign can undo years of progress. The Black Eagles’ objective is to take control early, accumulate enough points to stay clear of relegation danger, and approach the latter stages with confidence rather than fear.
Momentum — not perfection — is the currency this squad must trade in.
Germany enter REC 2026 with clarity and urgency.
This squad is not about rebuilding for a distant World Cup cycle. It is about survival, belief, and finally converting potential into tangible results. With a strong domestic spine, a wave of new talent, and lessons learned the hard way last season, the Black Eagles have given themselves a chance.
Now comes the hard part.
REC 2026 will decide whether Germany’s glimpses of promise become progress —
or remain just that: glimpses.