The Germans caused a big upset when they beat Romania in their first group game and although they lost to another World Cup-bound nation, Portugal, last week, a victory at Stade Charles Tondreau this weekend could see them progress to the semis.
‘To get that win against Romania was huge for them and it will be interesting to see how they get on in Belgium, who are a really good side,’ said Guernsey head coach Jordan Reynolds.
The Guernsey centre has started for Germany in both of their 2026 Rugby Europe Championship matches so far and played the full 80 minutes in their shock opening 30-24 victory over Romania, who are heading to next year’s World Cup.
He revealed in an interview with talkingrugbyunion.co.uk published this week that the moment the ball went out of play to signal the conclusion of the game at the Fritz-Grunebaum-Sportpark in Heidelberg was one of the highlights of his career.
‘To be fair, I was quite exhausted by the end of the match, and I was wishing for that moment to come so we could finally celebrate,’ said 33-year-old Dawe, who qualifies for Germany through his mother and started represented them in 2017.
‘It was a brilliant feeling to see that ball go over the line. A team of amateurs were giant killers on that day, being one of the proudest moments of my life.’
So what was the key behind the victory for the underdogs as they beat a Romania side who sat 13 places above them at 22nd in the world rankings?
‘I think the younger boys have stepped up into leadership roles, with the team being more experienced and mature,’ Dawe said.
‘It now has the right balance of experienced veteran players and talented youngsters who can make an immediate impact.
‘We have developed a new core of players, and we are reaping the rewards of that restructuring.’
Germany, whose side are known as the Schwarze Adler (Black Eagles), were unable to pull off another upset against a World Cup-bound side in their second Pool B game last weekend as they went down 68-12 to Portugal, a world top-20 nation, at the Paul Greifzu Stadium in Dessau.
However, they still have the chance to reach next month’s semi-finals if they win their final group game away to Belgium on Saturday.
‘We don’t want to look too far ahead, as we like to take one game at a time, but the ability of our team is exceptional, and there is no reason why we can’t push Belgium and get a win,’ Dawe said.
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