Rudolf Finsterer

Rudolf Finsterer
Birth nameRudolf Finsterer
Date of birth (1951-05-05) 5 May 1951 (age 73)
Rugby union career
Position(s) -
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Germany
Correct as of 8 March 2010
Coaching career
Years Team
2002 - 2008 RG Heidelberg
2001 - 2010 Germany
2009 - 2011 RG Heidelberg
Correct as of 8 March 2010

Rudolf Finsterer (born 5 May 1951)[1] is a retired German international rugby union player and coach, formerly coaching the RG Heidelberg in the Rugby-Bundesliga and, until the 20 March 2010, the German national rugby union team.[2]

Finsterer resigned from his position of coach of Germany at the end of the country's European Nation Cup campaign, after suffering defeat in every match and relegation.[3] He was bitterly disappointed about the relegation, considering his ten years in the position of coach of Germany wasted.[4] He was succeeded by Torsten Schippe as coach of Germany,[5] the very man he himself succeeded in 2001.[6]

Finsterer shared his duties as coach of Germany with Bruno Stolorz[7] from the RC Orléans. Stolorz was seconded to the German team by the Fédération française de rugby to improve Germany's performance in the sport.[8]

On club level, Finsterer coached the RG Heidelberg since 2002, with an interruption in the 2008-09 season.[9] At the end of the 2010-11 season, he retired from coaching and instead stepped into the role of a team manager with RG Heidelberg.[10]

Finsterer lives in Mannheim and, while coach of Germany, worked under the Bundestrainer Peter Ianusevici, who holds a position of director of rugby in Germany.[11][12]

  1. ^ Rudolf Finsterer profile at totalrugby.de (in German) accessed: 8 March 2010
  2. ^ Germany FIRA-AER website, accessed: 8 March 2010
  3. ^ Rugby-Team steigt ab (in German) totalrugby.de, accessed: 20 March 2010
  4. ^ Deutschland steigt ab / Finsterer tritt zurück[permanent dead link] Rugby-Journal, published: 20 March 2010, accessed: 20 March 2010
  5. ^ Torsten Schippe wird Trainer des 15er-Nationalteams[permanent dead link] (in German) Rugby-Journal, published: 11 July 2010, accessed: 26 July 2010
  6. ^ 26.04.08 - der vorläufige Höhepunkt eines Abenteuers (in German) totalrugby.de, published: 17 May 2008, accessed: 26 July 2010
  7. ^ Spain set down marker Archived 2010-01-18 at the Wayback Machine rugbyworldcup.com, published: 16 November 2008, accessed: 8 March 2010
  8. ^ Mark Kuhlmann nicht mehr DRV-Nationaltrainer[permanent dead link] (in German) Rugby-Journal, published: 9 March 2009, accessed: 25 February 2010
  9. ^ TotalRugby Wechselbörse (in German) totalrugby.de, accessed: 8 March 2010
  10. ^ TotalRugby Wechselbörse 2011/2012 (in German) totalrugby.de, accessed: 21 August 2011
  11. ^ Die Mitarbeiter des DRV Archived 2007-10-25 at the Wayback Machine (in German) DRV website, accessed: 8 March 2010
  12. ^ Aussie backpacker's debut victory Fox Sports, published: 27 November 2007, accessed: 5 March 2010