Ex-AB signs new deal in France
Former All Black Rudi Wulf – who survived a swimming pool accident in 2005 – has signed on for another season in France, 12 years after his last test cap.
The 36-year-old has agreed to a
12-month contract extension with French Top 14 club Lyon, according toa Midi Olympique report.
Wulf, who has been playing for 15 years since breaking vertebrae in his neck, made three test starts on the left wing in 2008, and earned his final cap off the bench against Samoa that season.
The Gisborne-born, Auckland raised utility back made his firstclass debut for North Harbour in
2003, and went on to make 58 NPC appearances and play 49 times for the Blues.
Wulf’s rugby league playing uncle Eddie Wulf was a New Zealand lightheavyweight boxing champion and his cousin, Vincent Wulf, represented France at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup,
He made his New Zealand sevens debut under Gordon Tietjens’ coaching in 2004.
A year later, in 2005, he fractured vertebrae in his neck after diving into the shallow end of a swimming pool.
According to a Stuff report before his All Blacks debut in 2008, Walsh had a sleepless night after the diving incident and was taken to hospital where it was discovered he had fractured his C1 vertebrae.
For the next three months he wore a metal halo-brace around his head, the metal components bolted into his head to prevent it from moving.
He also wore a standard neck brace for an additional two months, and 11 months later, despite the protests from his mother, he was back playing for Marist in the North Harbour club competition.
He resumed his North Harbour career and, after a strong season for the Blues in 2008, earned his first All Blacks cap against England in Christchurch, wearing the No 11 jersey made famous by Jonah Lomu.
Wulf told Stuff in 2008 that he was always determined to get back into rugby, despite some misgivings from his mother, Meta.
‘‘She wasn’t too keen on me going back into it, especially seeing me in that halo brace was pretty hard for her, but she could see that deep down inside I always wanted to pursue my dreams.’’
He kept the halo brace as a grim reminder of how fortunate he was to still be playing professional rugby.
Since then, Wulf has made each post a winner, spending a decade in France’s Top League.
He had a season with Toulon in 2010 before heading home to complete his commitments with North Harbour and the Blues.
Wulf then returned to Toulon in 2012, spending three years there alongside fellow former All Blacks Ali Williams and Carl Hayman. During Wulf’s stay, Toulon won the French Top 14 and European Cup titles, although he did not play in either final.
After 84 matches for Toulon, Wulf joined Castres for 16 games, before moving to Lyon in 2016.
The versatile utility back has played alongside former All Blacks and Chiefs centre Charlie Ngatai and ex-Bay of Plenty outside back Toby Arnold, a New Zealand sevens gold medallist at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
He had played 14 matches, including three European Cup games, for Lyon beore the 2019-20 season was postponed in March when France went into lockdown following the coronavirus pandemic.
Wulf will be 37 by the time his Lyon contract ends in 2021, 18 years after his North Harbour debut.