Alexander Widiker
Encyclopedia
Alexander Widiker is a German
international rugby union
player, playing for Heidelberger RK
in the Rugby-Bundesliga
and the German national rugby union team.
Widiker played in the 2011 German championship final for Heidelberger RK, which the club won, with Widiker scoring a try in the game.
Widiker is one of the few German players who has successfully played abroad. From 2006 to 2010, he played for the RC Orléans
in the Fédérale 1
, alongside two other German internationals, the brothers Matthieu
and Guillaume Franke
. In his last season with RCO he was also the teams captain.
decent. Widikers grandparents were forcfully removed from the former Volga German Republic to Kazakhstan. When Widiker was eleven years old, his family moved to Germany. Initially, the family moved to Bramsche
in Lower Saxony
but was then allocated accommodation in Leipzig
. Eventually, the family chose to move to Wiesloch
, near Heidelberg
.
Widiker, who played association football, ice hockey
and basketball
in Kazakhstan, only began playing rugby when going to school in Germany. He joined the TB Rohrbach which later merged its youth team with the SC Neuenheim, where he made his debut in the senior team at the age of 17. He played for the German Under-17 and Under-19 team, taking part in two world championships, before making his debut for the senior side on 21 October 2001 against Sweden.
Before moving to France, Widiker, who has been playing rugby since 1994, won two German championships with his former club, SC Neuenheim
, in 2003 and 2004.
Widiker was scheduled to return to Germany for the 2010-11 season to play for SC Neuenheim once more, but instead joint Heidelberger RK
. He is also the new German captain, leading the team for the first time on 20 November 2010 against Poland.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
international rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player, playing for Heidelberger RK
Heidelberger RK
The Heidelberger Ruderklub is a German rowing club and rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga....
in the Rugby-Bundesliga
Rugby-Bundesliga
The Rugby-Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany's rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation.The league is predominantly amateur, with only two of the ten clubs in the league being professional outfits,the SC 1880 Frankfurt and Heidelberger RK.-History:The German rugby...
and the German national rugby union team.
Widiker played in the 2011 German championship final for Heidelberger RK, which the club won, with Widiker scoring a try in the game.
Widiker is one of the few German players who has successfully played abroad. From 2006 to 2010, he played for the RC Orléans
RC Orléans
Rugby club Orléans is a semi-professional French rugby union team, from Orléans. They currently play at Fédérale 1.-German players:The club has recently provided a number of players for the Germany national rugby union team with Alexander Widiker and the brothers Guillaume and Matthieu Franke...
in the Fédérale 1
Fédérale 1
Le championnat de France de première division fédérale, a.k.a. Fédérale 1, is a French rugby union club competition, the highest level of amateur rugby. The competition has been organised by the Fédération Française de Rugby since 2000, when it replaced the B2 Group...
, alongside two other German internationals, the brothers Matthieu
Matthieu Franke
Matthieu Franke is a German international rugby union player, playing for RC Orléans in the Fédérale 1 and the German national rugby union team...
and Guillaume Franke
Guillaume Franke
Guillaume Franke is a German international rugby union player, playing for RC Orléans in the Fédérale 1 and the German national rugby union team...
. In his last season with RCO he was also the teams captain.
Biography
Widiker was born as one of three children as an ethnic German in Kazakhstan in 1982. His parents, Friedrich and Emilia Widiker are of Volga GermanVolga German
The Volga Germans were ethnic Germans living along the River Volga in the region of southern European Russia around Saratov and to the south. Recruited as immigrants to Russia in the 18th century, they were allowed to maintain German culture, language, traditions and churches: Lutherans, Reformed,...
decent. Widikers grandparents were forcfully removed from the former Volga German Republic to Kazakhstan. When Widiker was eleven years old, his family moved to Germany. Initially, the family moved to Bramsche
Bramsche
Bramsche is a town in the district of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is about 20 km north of Osnabrück, at . Population is 30858 .In 1971/72 12 previously independent municipalities were included into the town.*Achmer*Balkum...
in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
but was then allocated accommodation in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. Eventually, the family chose to move to Wiesloch
Wiesloch
Wiesloch is a city in Germany, in northern Baden-Württemberg. It is situated 13 kilometres south of Heidelberg.After Weinheim, Sinsheim and Leimen it is the fourth largest city of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis and is in the north-central area near Heidelberg with its neighbouring town Walldorf...
, near Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
.
Widiker, who played association football, ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
in Kazakhstan, only began playing rugby when going to school in Germany. He joined the TB Rohrbach which later merged its youth team with the SC Neuenheim, where he made his debut in the senior team at the age of 17. He played for the German Under-17 and Under-19 team, taking part in two world championships, before making his debut for the senior side on 21 October 2001 against Sweden.
Before moving to France, Widiker, who has been playing rugby since 1994, won two German championships with his former club, SC Neuenheim
SC Neuenheim
The SC Neuenheim is a German rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga. Having won nine men's and twelve women's German championships as of 2004, the club is one of the most accomplished in Germany.-History:...
, in 2003 and 2004.
Widiker was scheduled to return to Germany for the 2010-11 season to play for SC Neuenheim once more, but instead joint Heidelberger RK
Heidelberger RK
The Heidelberger Ruderklub is a German rowing club and rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga....
. He is also the new German captain, leading the team for the first time on 20 November 2010 against Poland.
Club
- German rugby union championshipGerman rugby union championshipThe German rugby union championship was established in 1909 and has since been played, with exceptions, annually. It is the highest competition in Germany in the sport of Rugby Union.-Men:...
- Champions: 2003, 2004, 2011
- German rugby union cupGerman rugby union cupThe German rugby union cup is the premier cup competition for men in the sport of Rugby Union in Germany.In October 2009, it was proposed to discontinue both men's cup competitions after 2010, meaning, both the DRV-Pokal and the league cup will not be played anymore after this season...
- Winners: 2001, 2011
National team
- European Nations CupEuropean Nations Cup (rugby union)The European Nations Cup is the European Championship for tier 2 and tier 3 rugby union nations. The Championship is split into 7 divisions with 5 or 6 teams in each. The divisions play on a two-year cycle with the teams playing each other both home and away...
- Division 2- Champions: 20082006-2008 European Nations Cup Second DivisionThe 2006-2008 European Nations Cup Second Division will be contested over two years during which all teams meet each other home and away. The winner of Division 2A, Germany, will be promoted to Division 1 and fifth place,Netherlands, relegated to Division 2B...
- Champions: 2008
Club
| Year | Team | Competition | Games | Points | Place |
| 2006-07 | RC Orléans RC Orléans Rugby club Orléans is a semi-professional French rugby union team, from Orléans. They currently play at Fédérale 1.-German players:The club has recently provided a number of players for the Germany national rugby union team with Alexander Widiker and the brothers Guillaume and Matthieu Franke... |
Fédérale 1 Fédérale 1 Le championnat de France de première division fédérale, a.k.a. Fédérale 1, is a French rugby union club competition, the highest level of amateur rugby. The competition has been organised by the Fédération Française de Rugby since 2000, when it replaced the B2 Group... |
17 | 5 | |
| 2007-08 | 10 | 5 | |||
| 2008-09 | 17 | 15 | |||
| 2009-10 | 21 | 10 | |||
| 2010-11 Rugby-Bundesliga 2010–11 -Overview:The 2009-10 modus is identical to the previous season. However, the competition had been reduced from ten to nine teams, after the withdrawal of the ASV Köln Rugby during last season and no team from the 2nd Bundesliga accepting promotion. Like in 2008-09, the top four teams qualify for... |
Heidelberger RK Heidelberger RK The Heidelberger Ruderklub is a German rowing club and rugby union club from Heidelberg, currently playing in the Rugby-Bundesliga.... |
Rugby-Bundesliga Rugby-Bundesliga The Rugby-Bundesliga is the highest level of Germany's rugby union league system, organised by the German Rugby Federation.The league is predominantly amateur, with only two of the ten clubs in the league being professional outfits,the SC 1880 Frankfurt and Heidelberger RK.-History:The German rugby... |
17 | 30 | 1st — Champions |
| 2011-12 |
- As of 19 August 2011
European Nations Cup
| Year | Team | Competition | Games | Points | Place |
| 2006-2008 2006-2008 European Nations Cup Second Division The 2006-2008 European Nations Cup Second Division will be contested over two years during which all teams meet each other home and away. The winner of Division 2A, Germany, will be promoted to Division 1 and fifth place,Netherlands, relegated to Division 2B... |
Germany | European Nations Cup Second Division European Nations Cup (rugby union) The European Nations Cup is the European Championship for tier 2 and tier 3 rugby union nations. The Championship is split into 7 divisions with 5 or 6 teams in each. The divisions play on a two-year cycle with the teams playing each other both home and away... |
8 | 0 | Champions |
| 2008-2010 2008-2010 European Nations Cup First Division The 2008–10 European Nations Cup First Division was the 7th edition of the championship since it was reformed in 2000. The championship not only determined the champions of the ENC but it also acted as an element of European qualification for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.At present,... |
Germany | European Nations Cup First Division | 10 | 0 | 6th — Relegated |
| 2010–2012 | Germany Germany at the 2010–12 European Nations Cup Germany at the 2010–12 European Nations Cup sees a return of the German national rugby union team to the ENC Second Division, having been relegated without a win from the First Division in 2008–10... |
European Nations Cup Division 1B | 7 | 5 | ongoing |
Friendlies & other competitions
| Year | Team | Competition | Games | Points |
| 2007 | Germany Germany national rugby union team Germany is a third-tier Rugby Union playing nation. Germany currently plays at the second level of European rugby but has never managed to qualify for the Rugby World Cup... |
Friendly | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | 1 | 5 |
- As of 1 December 2011
External links
- Alexander Widiker at scrum.com Alexander Widiker at totalrugby.de Alexander Widiker at the DRV website