Rudolf Straeuli

Rudolf August Wilkens Straeuli (born 20 August 1963) is a South African rugby union administrator, and a former player and coach. He is currently the CEO of the Lions Rugby Company. He played in the positions of flanker and Number 8, making 10 test appearances for South Africa in 1994 and 1995. He was the coach of the Springboks rugby team in 2002 and 2003. He also played for the provincial team in the Currie Cup and Super 12 competitions.

Playing career Straeuli played his first in provincial rugby in 1990 for and from 1993 he played for . During 1993 he also toured with the South African Barbarians to the United Kingdom.

Straeuli made his debut for South Africa on 9 July 1994 against the All Blacks, in which he also scored a try. In all he played 10 tests, including representing South Africa in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, before his career ended on 18 November 1995 against England at Twickenham Stadium.

In 1997 he joined the Bedford Blues rugby club in England.

Coaching career In 1998 he transitioned from player to coach at Bedford.

Springboks In 2002, Straeuli took over as the head coach of the Springboks. He won his first four games, with two victories over , a 20-point victory over and a convincing 60–18 defeat of . However, the team subsequently suffered several defeats against the bigger nations, losing 30–10 to , 21–6 to , 53–3 to and 52–16 to during his reign.

He coached the Springboks during the 2003 Rugby World Cup, a campaign that saw South Africa failing to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup for the first time. Straeuli was forced to resign shortly after the tournament when details of his infamous Kamp Staaldraad training camp came to light.

Overall, Straeuli coached 23 tests and won 52% of them, one of the worst records for a South African coach.

Accolades In 2006 he was inducted into the University of Pretoria Sport Hall of fame.