Tiaan Strauss

Christiaan Petrus 'Tiaan' Strauss, (born 28 June 1965) is a former rugby union and rugby league footballer who represented both South Africa and Australia at international level in rugby union and also played top-level domestic rugby league in Australia.[1] He won the 1999 Rugby World Cup with Australia and the Currie Cup with Western Province.

Tiaan Strauss
Birth nameChristiaan Petrus Strauss
Date of birth (1965-06-28) 28 June 1965
Place of birthUpington, Cape Province, South Africa
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight16 st 5 lb (104 kg; 229 lb)
SchoolUpington High School, Upington
UniversityStellenbosch University
Rugby league career
Position(s) Forward
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996–97 Cronulla Sharks 14 (4)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Number 8, Flank
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1986–95 Western Province 156 ()
1998–2000 NSW Waratahs 36 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1992–94 South Africa 15 (20)
1999 Australia 11 (20)

Biography

Born in the town of Upington, Cape Province (now Northern Cape), Strauss attended the University of Stellenbosch, where he obtained his law degree in 1990. He made his senior provincial debut for Western Province in 1986 against North Eastern Cape and scored a try on debut.[2] At the end of the 1986 provincial season he formed the Western Province back row with Gert Smal and Deon Lotter, that played a major role in Western Province's Currie Cup victory.[3]

Strauss made his test debut for the Springboks during the 1992 tour of Britain and France, as Number 8 against France at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon. He went on to win 15 caps for the Springboks between 1992 and 1994, scoring 4 tries and captaining them on one occasion.[4] He also made a record 156 appearances for Western Province during the team's golden period before he moved to Australia.

In Australia he played two seasons of rugby league with the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks before switching back to rugby union for New South Wales. He was selected for Australia a total of 11 times, scoring a hat trick against Ireland on his debut. All but two of his caps were from the bench. He did make a capable replacement for Toutai Kefu in the 1999 World Cup Quarter Final in Cardiff when the former was banned but it turned out to be his last cap.

Strauss returned home to South Africa and settled with his family.

Rugby union test history

South Africa South Africa
No.OppositionResult (SA 1st)PositionTriesDateVenue
1. France20–15Number 817 October 1992Stade de Gerland, Lyon
2.France France16–29Number 824 October 1992Parc des Princes, Paris
3. England16–33Flank114 November 1992Twickenham, London
4.France France20–20Flank26 June 1993Kings Park Stadium, Durban
5.France France17–18Number 83 July 1993Ellis Park, Johannesburg
6. Australia19–12Number 831 July 1993Aussie Stadium (SFG), Sydney
7.Australia Australia20–28Number 814 August 1993Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane
8.Australia Australia12–19Number 821 August 1993Aussie Stadium (SFG), Sydney
9. Argentina29–26Number 86 November 1993Ferrocarril Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires
10.Argentina Argentina52–23Number 8213 November 1993Ferrocarril Oeste Stadium, Buenos Aires
11.England England15–32Number 84 June 1994Loftus Versveld, Pretoria
12. New Zealand14–22Flank (c)9 July 1994Carisbrook, Dunedin
13.New Zealand New Zealand9–13Flank23 July 1994Athletic Park, Wellington
14.Argentina Argentina42–22Number 818 October 1994Boet Erasmus, Port Elizabeth
15.Argentina Argentina46–26Number 815 October 1994Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Australia Australia
No.OppositionResult (Aus 1st)PositionTriesDateVenue
1. Ireland46–11Substitute312 June 1999Ballymore Stadium, Brisbane
2.Ireland Ireland32–26Substitute19 June 1999Subiaco Oval, Perth
3. England16–33Substitute26 June 1999Stadium Australia, Sydney
4. South Africa32–6Substitute17 July 1999Lang Park, Brisbane
5. New Zealand15–34Number 824 July 1999Eden Park, Auckland
6.South Africa South Africa9–10Substitute14 August 1999Newlands, Cape Town
7.New Zealand New Zealand28–7Substitute28 August 1999Stadium Australia, Sydney
8. Romania57–9Substitute3 October 1999Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast
9.Ireland Ireland23–3Substitute10 October 1999Lansdowne Road, Dublin
10. United States55–19Flank114 October 1999Thomond Park, Limerick
11. Wales24–9Number 814 October 1999Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Honours

See also

References

  1. "Christiaan Petrus Strauss". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  2. Van der Merwe, Floris (2007). Matieland is rugbyland, 1980-2006. Stellenbosch: SUN Press. pp. 144–146. ISBN 9781920109790. OCLC 190836768.
  3. Van Rooyen, Quintus (1986). S.A. Rugby Writers Annual 1986. Verwoerdburg: SA Rugby Writers' Society. pp. 137–138.
  4. Jooste, Graham K. (1995). South African rugby test players 1949-1995. Johannesburg: Penguin. pp. 127–143. ISBN 0140250174. OCLC 36916860.


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