Claymores aim for World Bowl win

The Claymores prepare for their big game on Sunday

The Scottish Claymores bid to take the World Bowl title for the second time when they face Rhein Fire at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt on Sunday.

The Claymores, who reached the World Bowl with a 6-4 record, last won in 1996 when they beat Frankfurt Galaxy 32-27.

The sides emerged from their league games with honours even, Rhein Fire winning in Dusseldorf while the Claymores were victorious at Hampden.

Rhein Fire will probably be slight favourites by virtue of their better league campaign, finishing with a 7-3 record.

Scott Couper: One of the few Scots

The German team are also looking for their second World Bowl win, having taken the title in 1998 with a victory over Frankfurt Galaxy at the Waldstadion.

Earlier this season, Rhein defeated the Claymores 22-10 in the Rheinstadion.

The Scottish team evened things up with a 31-24 win at Hampden three weeks later.

Claymores' coach, Jim Criner, told the team's official website of the excitement that surrounded the game.

Hard-fought battles

He said: "This is the one that we've been working to get to and a game that we are really looking forward to and are really excited about.

"In the two games that the teams have already played this year, we shared the honours in what were extremely hard-fought battles. This third one is going to be the best of all, the most physical of all and should be the best game of all.

"The team that protects the football and can come up with a big play on offence is going to the team that wins the football game.

"It is also going to be important that our special teams are in the game and play well to make our opponent go the long way which will allow our defence, which has played very well this year, to slow their offence down and create some opportunities to get good field position for our offence."

The only change to the Claymores line-up comes in the shape of Greg Williams, signed from Amsterdam Admirals, as a replacement for the injured Chris Bayne.

Jim Criner: Excited

Criner told the Claymores' website: "The key match-up is our secondary against their receiving corps.

"We've got to do a good job of making sure that we don't give anything up cheap and easy and don't concede any big plays. That's how Rhein have won their ballgames this year.

"If we can stop them from doing that again and make them earn everything as well as protect the football so that it's their running backs against our linebackers and their front four against our pass protection, then that's the key for us."

Massive success

Scottish Claymores quarterback Kevin Daft is hopeful that a victory would see American Football finally catch on in this country.

Gridiron has been a massive success in Germany where Rhein Fire and Frankfurt Galaxy attract crowds of more than 30,000.

The Claymores have a hard-core following. But their attendances have averaged around 9,000.

Nearly 35,000 are expected in the Waldstadion on Sunday and Daft believes the exposure will see more and more fans coming through the turnstiles to watch the Scottish side.

Daft said: "I think as American Football gets bigger more people will start coming out.

"It's still a little bit young over here, and that's fine. But once the younger players and kids start playing I think it will become bigger, and this league will become something that people like to watch."