Netherlands and Germany Name Their Griffin Cup Squads
Supplied by the European Rugby League media department and edited by Rugby League International Scores.
Netherlands and Germany meet in Zaandam on 12 September 2026. Read the announced squads, local kickoff time and series background from European Rugby League.
Netherlands and Germany are scheduled to contest the Griffin Cup at Zaandijk rugby club in Zaandam, Netherlands, on Saturday 12 September 2026, with kickoff at 2pm local time. The men’s senior international is for world ranking points, according to the announcement supplied by European Rugby League.
Press release supplied by European Rugby League, edited for clarity. This is a squad announcement, not a match result. The original release printed “12 October”; media manager Phil Caplan confirmed on 11 September that the fixture is this Saturday, 12 September. The archive photograph was supplied with the release; its watermark credits Rugby-Shots.
The Fixture at a Glance
| Detail | Announcement |
|---|---|
| Fixture | Netherlands vs Germany |
| Competition | Griffin Cup, men’s senior international |
| Date | Saturday 12 September 2026 |
| Kickoff | 2pm, local time in the Netherlands |
| Venue | Zaandijk rugby club, Zaandam |
| Stakes | Griffin Cup and world ranking points |
Series Background
ERL describes this as the countries’ twelfth senior men’s meeting. Netherlands lead the series 6–5 and won the previous meeting 44–18 in Hattingen in 2023. Germany can draw level in the series with a victory.
The Dutch squad draws on Amsterdam Cobras, Brabant Bears, Rotterdam Pitbulls and Zwolle Wolves. The announcement follows Netherlands’ 34–6 home defeat by Canada the previous month.
Netherlands head coach James Adams said the group had worked on its preparation since the Canada game. He also described the Griffin Cup fixture as the players’ final opportunity to make their case for the October tour. Nationaler Rugby League Deutschland president Bob Doughton said the match would help both sides prepare for upcoming European Championship fixtures.
Netherlands Squad
The following 19 players were named in the release. These are the announced squad members, not a confirmed starting lineup.
- Amsterdam Cobras: Rua Harrington, William Johnston, Jonathan van Kleij.
- Brabant Bears: Rick Baats, Tim van den Berg, Bert Kuijpers.
- Rotterdam Pitbulls: Shadan Lavia, Bjorn vd Schoot.
- Zwolle Wolves: Daniel Elbertson, Kevin Ellenbroek, Dimitri Haringa, Paul Kuijpers, Mike Prins, Miquel Raven, Sebastiaan Schoemaker, Arie-Tjerk Razoux-Schultz, Sylvan Vonken, Anne Vos, Thije Wijbenga.
Germany Squad
The release also named 19 Germany players, grouped below using its club labels.
- Bocks: Benedikt Esser, Timo Schmidt.
- Exiles: Jimmy Adams, Brad Billsborough, Eoin Bowie, Ollie Bowie, Connor Hampson, Andy Hoggins, Jay Kay, Conor McMillen, Shaun Smith, George Wood.
- Panthers: Harry Cartwright.
- Ritter: Liam Doughton, Dany Doukeng, Max Kuesel, Basti Paassen, Angus Ritz-Rahman, Stephan Tempel.
What This Announcement Establishes
The release establishes the planned fixture, venue and squads. It does not provide a final team sheet, a live broadcast link or a result. Those details should be checked against subsequent announcements from the organisers.
For the wider international calendar, see our guide to how the 2026 Rugby League World Cup pools decide the semifinalists.