Erwin Thiesies (22 August 1908 – 18 February 1993) was a German

international International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

player, playing for the

Berliner SV 92 Rugby The Berliner SV 92 Rugby is a German rugby union club from Berlin, currently playing in the 2. Rugby Bundesliga Ost. It is part of a larger club, the Berliner SV 92, which also offers other sports like association football, baseball and basketbal ...

and the

German national rugby union team The Germany national rugby union team ( German: Deutsche Rugby-Union-Nationalmannschaft) represents Germany in men's international competitions. It currently plays at the second level of European rugby but is yet to qualify for the Rugby Wo ...

.Erwin Thiesies - Ein Leben für den Sport
, accessed: 10 April 2010 After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Thiesies helped form the rugby department of BSG Stahl Hennigsdorf, which he coached until 1977. He was also the coach of the

German Democratic Republic national rugby union team The East Germany national rugby union team was the representative side of East Germany in rugby union during the country's existence from 1949 to 1990. East Germany internationals East Germany played its first rugby international in 1951 in Buc ...

from 1951 to 1972.

Biography

Thiesies was born in 1908 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, as the son of the custodian of a block of rental flats. After his school years, he took out an apprenticeship as a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

and took up

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

as sports. He came in contact with the sport of rugby union through

Tennis Borussia Berlin Tennis Borussia Berlin is a German football club based in the locality of Westend in Berlin. History The team was founded in 1902 as ''Berliner Tennis- und Ping-Pong-Gesellschaft Borussia'' taking its name from its origins as a tennis and t ...

and the

and, despite his humble origins was ambitious in life. He broke through as a forward to the first team of the Berliner SV and the German national team. He was described as a player of iron discipline by Hermann Meister, long term president of the

German Rugby Federation The German Rugby Federation (german: Deutscher Rugby-Verband or ''DRV'') is the governing body for rugby union in Germany. It organizes Germany national rugby union team, the German national team and the three league divisions: the Rugby-Bundesli ...

, and was somebody who abstained from alcohol and nicotine, rather devoting his time to running and cycling. He was called up fourteen times for Germany from 1934 to 1940. He was part of the German team that achieved Germany's last rugby victory over

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, a 3-0 on 27 March 1938 in

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

. During the Second World War, he was stationed in

and was able to make contact with French rugby players, who he trained with. Having lost his house in Berlin through aerial bombings during the war, he and his wife Jette moved to relatives in

Hennigsdorf Hennigsdorf () is a town in the district of Oberhavel, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated north-west of Berlin, just across the city border, which is formed mainly by the Havel river. History The municipality shared its borders with the form ...

after the war. He began to train the local youth in the game of rugby and was the founding father of the rugby department of BSG Stahl Hennigsdorf.Wie der Ball gehärtet wurde
''

Der Tagesspiegel ''Der Tagesspiegel'' (meaning ''The Daily Mirror'') is a German daily newspaper. It has regional correspondent offices in Washington D.C. and Potsdam. It is the only major newspaper in the capital to have increased its circulation, now 148,000, s ...

'', published: 16 September 2007, accessed: 10 April 2010 In 1950, he became a member of the new rugby branch of the East German Football Association. He became the full-time coach of ''Stahl'' in 1953, being employed through the local steelworks. He was also the first coach of the new East German national team, which he was in charge of in 35 internationals throughout the years. Until his retirement in 1977, he coached ''Stahl'' to 17 national championships. Over the years, he was honoured by German and international rugby federations for his service to the sport. He remained a strong supporter of rugby in Hennigsdorf until his death in 1993 and is remembered as the soul of rugby in the town.

Honours

Coach

East German rugby union championship The East German rugby union championship was a rugby union competition in the German Democratic Republic, commonly referred to as East Germany. The competition was first held in 1952 and had its last edition in 1990, being terminated by the events ...

** Champions: (17) 1952, 1953, 1960–62, 1965–71, 1973–77

References

External links

Erwin Thiesies - Ein Leben für den Sport
Article & video on Erwin Thiesies on the

Brandenburg Brandenburg (; nds, Brannenborg; dsb, Bramborska ) is a states of Germany, state in the northeast of Germany bordering the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony, as well as the country of Poland. With an ar ...

rugby association website {{DEFAULTSORT:Thiesies, Erwin 1908 births 1993 deaths Sportspeople from Berlin German rugby union coaches German rugby union players Germany international rugby union players Rugby union in East Germany Rugby union in Berlin Rugby union in Brandenburg Berliner SV 92 rugby players