Rudolph Straeuli
Encyclopedia
Rudolph August Wilkens Straeuli (born 20 August 1963 in Pretoria
, South Africa
) played rugby union
in the positions of flanker
and Number 8 for, and later coached, the Springboks
rugby team. He also played for the Lions provincial team in the Currie Cup
competition. Straeuli stands 1.95 meters tall and weighs 110 kilograms.
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
.
It is not his skills as a rugby player, but his coaching skills that he is infamous for. After Harry Viljoen could not deliver the goods, winning only 53% of his games, Straeuli was seen as a breath of fresh air. Many lauded him as the saviour of South African rugby, the man who would get the job done.
At first things seemed to be going well for Straeuli as he won his first four games, with two victories over Wales
, a 20 point mauling of Argentina
and a convincing 60–18 defeat of Samoa
. But when it came to facing the world's top teams, disaster struck.
Under Straeuli the Springboks reached their lowest point in world rugby with record defeats against several countries, most notably:
Through all the failures Straeuli kept telling the public that he was still building his team and that they should judge him on his performance in the 2003 Rugby World Cup
. For the first time South Africa failed to reach the semifinals of a World Cup in which they participated. Straeuli was forced to resign shortly after the campaign when details of his infamous Kamp Staaldraad
training camp came to light.
Overall Straeuli coached 23 tests and won only 52% of them, doing worse than his predecessor and making him the worst South African coach for the number of games played in history. He also only won only two out of the 17 games played against the top six teams in the world.
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) played 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...
in the positions of flanker
Flanker (rugby union)
A flanker is a position in the sport of rugby union. Flankers play in the forwards, and are generally classified as either blindside, or openside flankers; numbers six and seven respectively. The name comes from their position in a scrum in which they flank each set of forwards...
and Number 8 for, and later coached, the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
rugby team. He also played for the Lions provincial team in the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
competition. Straeuli stands 1.95 meters tall and weighs 110 kilograms.
Straeuli made his debut for South Africa on 9 July 1994 against the All Blacks
All Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
, in which he also scored a try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
. In all he played 10 tests, including representing South Africa in the 1995 Rugby World Cup
1995 Rugby World Cup
The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country....
, before his career ended on 18 November 1995 against England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
at Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
.
It is not his skills as a rugby player, but his coaching skills that he is infamous for. After Harry Viljoen could not deliver the goods, winning only 53% of his games, Straeuli was seen as a breath of fresh air. Many lauded him as the saviour of South African rugby, the man who would get the job done.
At first things seemed to be going well for Straeuli as he won his first four games, with two victories over Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
, a 20 point mauling of Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
and a convincing 60–18 defeat of Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
. But when it came to facing the world's top teams, disaster struck.
Under Straeuli the Springboks reached their lowest point in world rugby with record defeats against several countries, most notably:
- 30–10 to France at the Stade VélodromeStade VélodromeThe Stade Vélodrome is a football stadium in Marseille, France. It is home to the Olympique de Marseille football club of Ligue 1, and was a venue in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 Rugby World Cup. It is the largest club-football ground in France, with a capacity of 60,031 spectators,...
, MarseilleMarseilleMarseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of... - 21–6 to Scotland at MurrayfieldMurrayfield StadiumMurrayfield Stadium is a sports stadium located in the west end of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Its all-seater capacity was recently reduced from 67,800 to 67,130 to incorporate the largest permanent "big screen" in the country though it still remains the largest stadium in Scotland and one...
, EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area... - 53–3 to England at TwickenhamTwickenham StadiumTwickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... - 52–16 to New Zealand at Loftus VersfeldLoftus Versfeld StadiumLoftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby and association football stadium situated in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,762 for rugby union and hosted the 2009 Currie Cup final...
, PretoriaPretoriaPretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
Through all the failures Straeuli kept telling the public that he was still building his team and that they should judge him on his performance in the 2003 Rugby World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
. For the first time South Africa failed to reach the semifinals of a World Cup in which they participated. Straeuli was forced to resign shortly after the campaign when details of his infamous Kamp Staaldraad
Kamp Staaldraad
Kamp Staaldraad was a military-style "boot camp" organized as a "team building" exercise for the South African national rugby union team, the Springboks , during their preparation for the 2003 Rugby World Cup...
training camp came to light.
Overall Straeuli coached 23 tests and won only 52% of them, doing worse than his predecessor and making him the worst South African coach for the number of games played in history. He also only won only two out of the 17 games played against the top six teams in the world.