Rugby: why coach Jackson refuses to be favored

Hamburg. Three years have passed since Hamburg’s last city duel in the Rugby Bundesliga. If Saturday at 3pm on FC St. Pauli and the RC Hamburger face, so it can be assumed that there is a lot of prestige.

“It’s going to be a really interesting number,” says FC St. Pauli head of department Nils Zurawski. Brown and Whites have a home advantage, but there will be no home advantage for the newly promoted rugby arena at Saarlandstrasse as both teams will play their matches at Hamburger Stadtpark.

Rugby: “Anything can happen in a derby”

On paper, HRC’s “guests” are clearly the favorites. Fourth in the standings, he started the season with two wins and two losses. FC St. Pauli, on the other hand, have lost all four of their opening games and are currently the last of the Bundesliga North / East as bottom of the table. HRC manager Gareth Jackson does not want to accept the role of favorite.

“Anything can happen in a derby. I don’t think we’re the favorites, “warned the Brit.” S. Pauli will give us a tough fight. They are a very physical team and did well in the first few games of the season but lost by 8:19.

Rugby: St. Pauli fans are probably outnumbered

“It was very bitter for us,” says Zurawski. Before the season, the department head pointed out that the team in the lower half of the table had to score points against direct competitors: Victoria Linden, RC Leipzig and also Hamburger RC. About 250 fans watched the game last weekend. By Saturday, those in charge are expecting more than triple. HRC manager Jackson assumes the atmosphere will be particularly noisy: “Especially with the football derby the night before, a lot of things could go wrong. We can not wait”.

After all, the hosts may have an advantage at home. According to Zurawski, St. Pauli fans are the majority. “We are the much bigger club”. He himself will not follow the game: “I’m in the kitchen in the club house and I do the dishes. I can’t bear so much tension.”