Straeuli now at the Lions

Straeuli's appointment as general manager of professional rugby and commercial, will begin with immediate effect and involve the recruitment and contracting of all senior players.

He'll oversee all professional rugby operations and manage medical and technical staff.

"Administrators with the same set of skills, accomplishments and qualifications are hard to come by in this industry," GLRU CEO Mani Booysen said.

"So we are very happy to welcome Rudolf on board and we believe he will contribute a great deal to the Union - especially now that the Lions will return to Super Rugby,"

Straeuli, who represented the Golden Lions from 1993 to 1996, was looking forward to re-joining his previous union after a lengthy tenure in a similar role at the Sharks.

"I have a great deal of respect for the Lions and their strong brand and I am glad I can further my career with them," Straeuli said. "I am also incredibly proud of the union for the challenges that they were able to overcome in 2013."

He said one of his goals for the future was to establish a strong relationship between his previous franchise, the Durban-based Sharks, and the GLRU.

"I feel that synergy in the rugby industry is important and I believe that two rugby unions working in tandem can only benefit and grow the game as a whole," he said. "I see my new position as a unique opportunity for both the Sharks and the Lions to work closely together in future."

(File Photo:Gallo Images)

- Sapa

Twitter - @SportswaveAndre