Zimmat's Four-Try Heroics Lead Germany To Victory Over Finland
By Priscilla Jepchumba
Germany’s women's rugby team billed their return to international rugby in style after registering a 44-10 thrashing of Finland in the Rugby Europe Women’s Trophy. Mette Zimmat scored four tries, with Johanna Hacker and Steffi Gruber contributing to the tries for the German team.
This was Germany’s first international fixture in 18 months, and they took on a physical Finnish side that is not afraid to get stuck in. Their last international was the match against Portugal in 2023, which they lost.
Nevertheless, despite the poor start, the German players' efficiency and physical fitness gave them an edge in the end. Germany’s head coach, Gareth Jackson, was happy with the outcome.
"I think we can be very satisfied, even though it was a close game until the second half," said Jackson.
The first try was scored by Zimmat for Germany, but Finland was quick to score two of its own and go up 17-7. For the remainder of the half, Germany assumed mastery, scoring 29 points in dominance of the second half.
"It was also important to see that all the players on the bench had an immediate and positive effect on the game when they came on,” stated Jackson
"Of course, we also saw things that we need to continue to work on, but overall, we are happy with today's performance," he concluded.
This is good news for German women’s rugby, as the team’s performance has gradually risen in recent years. This year’s team will hope to build on this performance and progress further in the Rugby Europe Women’s Trophy.
Germany's win secured them a 0.49-point improvement in their World Rugby Women's Rankings, maintaining position 21. Following the loss, Finland dropped from position 36 to 37th. Jamaica replaced Finland in 36th place.
