Belgium sets roster for busy fall schedule
Team Belgium, aka, the Belgian Barbarians, finalized their fall roster last week in preparation for a busy fall schedule.
The Belgians are scheduled to face the Irish Wolfhounds, aka Team Ireland on September 7 in an international friendly. They will then enter the IFAF European Championship qualifying rounds as they first take on Israel in Israel on October 6 and finally play Team Hungary on October 26.
This will be the second meeting between Belgium and Ireland. The Irish defeated Belgium 20-19 last year in a game played in Ireland.
Head coach Spencer Wood and his staff have whittled the 137 training camp roster down to 81 for the games this fall.
Since 2014, Belgium has been one of Europe’s busiest national teams playing between two and four games a year. Late last year, Belgium earned a historic win when they defeated Team Holland for the first time ever, beating them 14-7. As mentioned the Belgians lost to Ireland in 2018. The Barbarians played two international exhibition games in 2017 defeating Team Spain 18-16 in a controversial thriller, and then downing the Russian national team 7-2 in a tight defensive battle. They beat both Spain and Hungary in 2016 and in 2015, they played four games including a tough loss to Holland in a European qualifier in front of almost 5,000 roaring Dutch fans.
Quarterbacks
Tomasz Firszt – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Gilles Van Overschelde – Ghent Gators (BE)
Willem Van Compernolle – Izegem Tribes (BE)
Cedric De Coninck – Antwerp Argonauts (BE)
Jens Vandekerckhove – Ostend Pirates (BE)
Gilles Dauby – Verviers Mustangs (BE)
Wide receivers
Ruben De Ruyter – Rostock Griffins (DE)
Thomas Bouron – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Eric-Junior Hiernaux – Charleroi Coal Miners (BE)
Aril Rwantambara – Cologne Crocodiles (DE)
Mathieu De Hoffmann – Cologne Crocodiles (DE)
Thomas Allison – Amsterdam Crusader (NL)
Stephen Amant – Ghent Gators (BE)
Theo Groenendaels – Cologne Crocodiles (DE)
Benoit Visnovsky – Mons Knights (BE)
Pierre Anganda – Grenoble Centaures (FR)
Quentin Agten – Limburg Shotguns (BE)
Robbe Coudyzer – Izegem Tribes (BE)
Vincenzo Claes – Ostend Pirates (BE)
Jason Itoma – Grenoble Centaures (FR)
Gilles Verbist – Leuven Lions (BE)
Alexandre Delmotte – Grez-Doiceau Fighting Turtles (BE)
Running backs
Arkadi Meerschout – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Jimmy Onema – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Roeland De Coninck – Antwerp Argonauts (BE)
Cian Borra – Antwerp Argonauts (BE)/Bristol Pride (UK)
Mathieu Laby – Andenne Bears (BE)
Brecht Deboosere – Izegem Tribes (BE)
Abel Mampaka – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Offensive line
Daren Wonke – Limburg Shotguns (BE)
David Corijn – Vikings de Villeneuve d’Asq (FR)
Jef Van Gorp – Limburg Shotguns (BE)
Gert Nelissen – Bern Grizzlies (CH)
Romy Nyati Panzu – Amsterdam Crusader (NL)
Stijn Dossche – Izegem Tribes (BE)
Sami Belghezli – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Kilian Weber – Antwerp Argonauts (BE)
Mike Tafniez – Verviers Mustangs (BE)
Michiel Morel – Ghent Gators (BE)
Thomas Philipsen – Limburg Shotguns (BE)
Steven Corijn – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Jesse Meyers – Antwerp Argonauts (BE)/Bristol Pride (UK)
Thomas Heller – Hildesheim Invaders (DE)
Paul-Henry Minzeni – Cologne Crocodiles (DE)
Thibaut Delfosse – Andenne Bears (BE)
Rogier Depreitere – Ghent Gators (BE)
Matthias Van Ghysegem – Ghent Gators (BE)
Defensive line
Reda Vranken – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Brice Bouron – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Batiste Thaels – Dudelange Steelers (LU)
Seppe Claes – Limburg Shotguns (BE)
Rudy Mwamba – Cologne Crocodiles (DE)
Bjarne Michiels – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Maarten Noë – Antwerp Argonauts (BE)
Bilal Sakibou – Antwerp Argonauts (BE)
Denzel Mortelmans – Antwerp Argonauts (BE)
Matthias Vanhoeymissen – Grez-Doiceau Fighting Turtles (BE)
Linebackers
Jerome Bottin – Düsseldorf Panther (DE)
Nick Vanhee – Ostend Pirates (BE)
Frederic Casteels – Mallorca Voltors (ES)
Dylan Pierquin – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Michel Eeman – Limburg Shotguns (BE)
Brian De Caluwé – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Kevin Vandewiele – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Kenzo Lannoo – Ghent Gators (BE)
Simon Vandersluys – Ghent Gators (BE)
Robert Hick – Verviers Mustangs (BE)
Simon Bodeux – Verviers Mustangs (BE)
Defensive backs
Dany Lamy – Cologne Crocodiles (DE)
Hadrien Godichal – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Xavier Simon – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Loic Mokondji – Limburg Shotguns (BE)
Jamal Soufi – Limburg Shotguns (BE)
Thierry Janssens – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Killian Philips – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Thomas De Grootte – Ostend Pirates (BE)
Thomas Annesiadis – Izegem Tribes (BE)/Bristol Pride (UK)
Axel Dingana – Brussels Black Angels (BE)
Lucky Hiernaux – Charleroi Coal Miners (BE)
Jacob Thomas – Verviers Mustangs (BE)
Emmanuel Duchesne – Charleroi Coals Miners (BE)
