Germany's all-time leading scorer retires and calls for franchise team
Raynor Parkinson, Germany’s all-time leading scorer, has retired from international rugby with a record that is unlikely to be broken any time soon.
The 35-year-old took his final total for the Schwarze Adler (Black Eagles) to 337 points from 43 caps after kicking a second-half conversion against Georgia in round one of the 2024 Rugby Europe Men’s Championship.
It leaves him well over 200 points ahead of the also-retired Jacobus Otto in second place. And with his successor in the No10 jersey, Eduardo Stella, barely into three figures and 27 years of age, Parkinson’s record should be safe for at least another generation.
“You don’t really do it for the accolades but it is always nice to have a record in your back pocket and to have contributed in some way,” said Parkinson, who was given the honour of leading the team out for his swansong appearance in Dessau just over 12 years after his Test career began with a victory over the Netherlands in Hanover.
“Playing for the national team meant the world to me but I don’t think I have it in me anymore. The body doesn’t quite recover as quickly as it used to and also, the time constraints of juggling work, club rugby, family… it is all becoming a bit too much, so I needed to take something off my plate and unfortunately I just couldn’t commit to the time that the national team required.”
?? The undisputed winner with 59% of the votes.
Try of the Week goes to @RugbyDeu Nikolai Klewinghaus for this moment of individual brilliance. ? #REC24 pic.twitter.com/99g4H6dAJE
— Rugby Europe (@rugby_europe) February 9, 2024
Born in South Africa, Parkinson qualified for Germany through his grandmother who hails from the northern German city of Bielefeld. A product of the Sharks and Lions academy, he played professionally at the University of Johannesburg where he competed with Springbok Elton Jantjies for the No10 jersey before trying his luck overseas.
An unhappy spell in England with Old Elthamians led to Parkinson taking up an offer from a friend to play in the Netherlands, and that set him on the path to becoming a German rugby legend.
“I was playing for a Dutch team in the North Sea Cup and the German team we were playing against was coached by the then-Germany head coach Kobus Potgieter,” he explained.
“He asked me if I had German ancestry and when I told him yes, he made me an offer to join HRK (Heidelberger RK). That was in 2011, I’d never set foot in Germany before.”
Parkinson won five Bundesliga titles with HRK before moving to Frankfurt 1880 where he has won three in a row as player-coach. Despite his exploits in club rugby and for the national team, most Germans will be unaware of his sporting prowess.
Making any inroads into the consciousness of a country dominated by football and handball will take some doing, especially as Germany’s best chance of making a breakthrough slipped through their hands a few years ago.
Under former England and Ireland defence coach Mike Ford, Germany were effectively one win away from qualifying for Rugby World Cup 2019. Having beaten Romania and Portugal in the build-up, Germany went to the final repechage tournament in Marseille in November 2018 in good shape.
Wins over Hong Kong China and Kenya were achieved but they lost out to Canada (29-10) in the race for the final ticket to Japan. Afterwards, funds were pulled from the 15s programme and many of Parkinson’s teammates walked away never to be seen again.
? Don’t tell us this isn’t going to be a good weekend of rugby… #REC24 pic.twitter.com/29ZunzvbES
— Rugby Europe (@rugby_europe) February 12, 2024
Parkinson stayed on but admits that they have never come close to reaching those heights again. “That was probably the pinnacle of German rugby,” said Parkinson, who works as a PA to Dr Ulrich Byszio, the president of Frankfurt 1880 Rugby Club, and is settled for life in Germany.
“The Canada one was the one that sunk us in the end. I think there were only three points in at half-time. For the guys that had committed a lot of their time and sacrificed a lot to be part of 15s, to see it go from the position it was in to going bust, it was especially heartbreaking to see.”
Having seen the positive effect it has had on the Georgian and Portugal national teams, Parkinson would like to see a German franchise team competing in Rugby Europe’s Super Cup. “I have had those conversations with a few people about how we could possibly waken that sleeping giant [German rugby],” he said.
“Having a franchise team, where the best players are pooled into one team and exposed to a consistently good level of rugby and then fed into the national team, has worked well for the Portuguese and with the Georgians.”
Germany began this year’s Rugby Europe Championship with defeats to Georgia and Spain but were much more competitive than the previous year in both fixtures.
The latter match was broadcast live on RugbyPass TV, and this weekend’s offering will also feature the Spanish as they take on the Georgians in Tbilisi on Saturday. Both teams are unbeaten and the winner will top Pool A. The top spot in Pool B, meanwhile, will be decided on the same day in Bucharest as Romania take on Portugal.
Comments on RugbyPass
Tamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder.
1 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
33 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
33 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to comments