Rudolf Straeuli
Rudolf August Wilkens Straeuli is a former South African rugby union player and coach and currently the CEO of the Lions Rugby Company. He played in the positions of flanker and Number 8, making ten 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.
Test history
| No. | Opposition | Result | Position | Tries | Date | Venue |
| 1. | 14–22 | Flank | 1 | 9 Jul 1994 | Carisbrook, Dunedin | |
| 2. | 42–22 | Flank | 8 Oct 1994 | Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth | ||
| 3. | 46–26 | Flank | 1 | 15 Oct 1994 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | |
| 4. | 34–10 | Number 8 | 1 | 19 Nov 1994 | Murrayfield, Edinburgh | |
| 5. | 20–12 | Number 8 | 1 | 26 Nov 1994 | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff | |
| 6. | 60–8 | Number 8 | 13 Apr 1995 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | ||
| 7. | 27–18 | Number 8 | 25 May 1995 | Newlands, Cape Town | ||
| 8. | 42–14 | Number 8 | 10 Jun 1995 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | ||
| 9. | 15–12 | Replacement | 24 Jun 1995 | Ellis Park, Johannesburg | ||
| 10. | 24–14 | Replacement | 18 Nov 1995 | Twickenham, London |
Coaching career
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 only 52% of them, one of the worst records for a South African coach. He also won only two out of the 17 games played against the top six teams in the world.