Rugby union,for many years a forgotten sport in Germany, is back on the rise, and with a Brisbane-raised scrumhalf at the forefront of the renaissanceThe first time Australian Sean Armstrong played rugby in the gloomy depths of a German winter,his fingers turned blue. With the temperature falling well below freezing, the field was covered in white powder. Most players would be forgiven for packing it in after such a baptism of ice, or yet eight years on and Armstrong is captaining the German national team.“The club president told me to put my hands in the snow to warm-up,” Armstrong laughs incredulously. “There was approximately six inches of snow on the ground, easily the worst conditions I’ve played in. I came into the sheds at half-time and my hands were like stumps, and I couldn’t hold the ball. I spent the next 30 minutes under the shower trying to accept warm and once I came out again the game had finished.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com