Germany’s call just too good to ignore
JON NEWCOMBE talks to Doncaster’s new international prop Toby Williams
TOBY WILLIAMS says he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play international rugby after Germany came calling. Born in the British Military Hospital in Rinteln, the Doncaster Knights loose-head was contacted about playing for the Black Eagles by forwards coach Mouritz Botha, who has been scouring the English lower leagues for eligible players.
Williams told The Rugby Paper: “Representing Germany had never cropped up before until I got the phone call from Mo saying, do you want to come out and play?
“I was born there when my dad was in the army and some of my mum’s family are German, too. I think a few lads have been born in the same place as me (ex-Sale Sharks hooker Neil Briggs being one), but I’ve not had much of an association with the country since.”
Now he’s been capped, Williams is no longer classed as an English Qualified Player (EQP), potentially making him less attractive to Championship clubs should he decide to leave the Knights when his contract runs out at the end of next season.
Championship clubs receive RFU funding based on them meeting certain EQP criteria, but Williams has no regrets about his allegiance to the country of his birth.
“It was something I was keen to do, to get some international experience. I couldn’t believe it when I heard Mike Ford was head coach. He’s been at the very top.”
Williams, 31, made his debut against Belgium three weeks ago and has played twice more since. He has yet to be on the winning side but the cross-coder – he played Rugby League for York City Knights and Keighley Cougars before switching to Union – does not think they are a million miles away from getting a positive result.
“When we’ve had the ball and executed our game plan, the other side have struggled to deal with us in both the games. But we’re not doing that for long enough periods. We’re not far off, though,” he said.
An eye-opener for international new boy, Williams, was the state of the pitch at Belgium’s ‘mini-Heysel’ ground and the shape of some of his front row adversaries. To say that bellies were hanging over shorts, “would
“I was keen to get international experience but I couldn’t believe Mike Ford was head coach!”
be putting it kindly”, according to Williams.
“They scrummage very differently over here to back home,” he added. “I think a lot of the Belgium players are based in the French Leagues where there is more emphasis on that area. For starters, there is a huge weight difference. The tight-five is more athletic back home. It was a bit of an eye-opener.”
As was the pitch, which is saying something coming from a player who once used to plough a furrow on Rotherham’s less than pristine playing surface. “I’m not sure even Clifton Lane is a bad as that one, it was a bit of a cowfield!”
Next up for Germany is the small matter of Georgia away, on March 10. Lose that game, as seems likely, and they will almost certainly face a relegation/promotion play-off with the Rugby Europe Trophy champions, Portugal or the Netherlands.
It’s a sad state of affairs for a country that, only three months ago, gave Canada a real run for their money in attempting to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.
Funding remains a perennial problem. The generosity of longtime German rugby benefactor, Hans-Peter Wild, helped see them through the repechage tournament in Marseilles in November, where wins against Kenya and Hong Kong were achieved either side of a narrow defeat to the Canucks, but that arrangement came to an end and they are currently playing as amateurs.