Rudolf Finsterer

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]