Spain hope to revive hopes
Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:51
Spain, badly beaten in Moscow last weekend, play Germany in Madrid this weekend, seeking to get back on track to again qualify for the World Cup. It is a match in Division 1 of the European Nations Cup.
Defeat at the hands of the Russians was a blow to Spain hoping to repeat their 1999 achievement by going to New Zealand.
Germany will be nervous. They are new to Six Nations B and lost to a Welsh Clubs XV last week in a warm-up match. German strength is in its forwards.
Spain and Germany have played 17 times with equal results - one draw and eight victories each. The two teams last met when Spain defeated Germany in 2006 but even then it was only on points' difference when the teams had each won one of their two fixtures. They were then both in Division 2 and Spain was able to get into Division 1. The matches in the Six Nations B act as qualifiers for at the end of the two-year competition the top two teams will have an automatic passage to New Zealand while the team coming third will get a further chance to qualify through répechage.
Spain is ranked 21st by the IRB, Germany 25th.
Spain's coach Ged Glynn has made changes to the side beaten by Russia, bringing in five new caps - scrumhalf Igor Mirones and centres Jaime Nava and David Mota, flyhalf Camille Riu and loose forward Sergio Guerrero. Nava and Mota played against Cambridge but that was not a Test. Prop Javier Salazar is the most capped player with 54 caps and Ivan Criado went to 50 in Moscow.
The most capped German is Jens Schmidt with 34 caps.
Teams:
Spain squad: Juan G Marruecos (Cajasol Ciencias), Sebastián Hattori (Cajasol Ciencias), Javier Salazar (Madrid), Ion Insausti (El Salvador), Marco Pinto (Clermont Auvergne), José Maria Bohorquez (Cajasol Ciencias), Leandro Fernandez Aramburo (Cajasol Ciencias), Sergio Souto (El Salvador), Juan Gonzalez (Madrid), Rafael Camacho (Cajasol Ciencias), Iván Criado (El Salvador), Sergio Guerrero (UE Santboiana), César Bernasconi (Madrid), Pablo Feijoo (Madrid), Igor Mirones (Getxo Artea), Camille Riu (UE Santboiana), Manuel Mazo (Cajasol Ciencias), Jaime Nava (El Salvador), Javier Canosa (Madrid), David Mota (Madrid), Ignacio Martin (Gran Parma), Matías Tudela (Madrid), Juan Cano (Madrid), César Sempere (Madrid)
Germany squad: Christian Baracat (Neuenheim), Tim Coly (Heidelberg), Benjamin Danso (Hannover), Kieron Davies (Bedford, England), Lars Eckert (Neuenheim), Mathieu Franke (Orleáns, France), Mustafa Güngor (Heidelberg), Tim Kasten (Southern, England), Benjamín Krause (DSVH 1878), Robert Mohr (La Rochelle, France), Jens Schimdt (Handschuhsheim), Bodo Sieber (University of Cape Town, South Africa), Marten Strauch (Neuenheim), Edmoore Takaendesa (Heidelberg), Marcus Trick (Neuenheim), Gerrit Van Look (Berliner), Clemens Von Grumbkow
(Orleáns, France), Rolf Wacha (Frankfurt), Markus Walger (Heusenstamm), Alexander Widiker (Orleáns, France), Thorsten Wiedeman (Handschuhsheim), Manuel Wilhelm (Heidelberg)
Date: Saturday, 15 November 2008
Kick-off: 16.00
Venue: Campo Central Ciudad Universitaria, Madrid
Expected weather conditions: Scattered clouds with a high of 15°C, dropping to 4°C and a northeaster of 14 km/h abating.
Referee: Paolo Ventura (Italy)
Touch judges: Domenico Sironi (Italy), Gianluca Bonacci (Italy)
