Rugby: Sevens up for the Wulf man

By CHRIS RATTUE

It's been a while since the Wulf name was a headline act in Auckland sport.

Eddie Wulf was a star back for the Auckland Marist rugby league side in the 1970s, playing for Auckland and also being selected for a New Zealand XIII against Australia although he had to withdraw. He was also a national amateur and professional light-heavyweight boxing champion.

Three decades on, his nephew Rudi is making waves in rugby union, inspired partly by his uncle's deeds.

North Harbour wing Wulf, of German-Samoan origin, is chasing a career in the 15s game.

But he has emerged as an unheralded sevens star who could be a key figure in the Gordon Tietjens-coached New Zealand team at the international sevens in Wellington this weekend.

The 20-year-old Wulf, whose parents Hugo and Meta are Samoan-born, burst into sevens prominence by winning the player of the tournament award at this year's nationals at Queenstown, where North Harbour continued their dominance of the competition.

Wulf had already won notice last year when he joined only a small group of players ever selected for the national under-19 and colts sides in the same season. He was a starter in the under-19s who lost the world final to South Africa in France, and played a bit part in the colts who won the world title in England.

It was a watershed year for Wulf, who also became a regular starter on the wing for the North Harbour NPC side.

Wulf said his uncle's sporting exploits helped fire his sporting dreams as a kid.

"I remember him showing me a scrapbook of cuttings about him. That made a big impression on me," said Wulf, who credited his father and uncle for giving him the most important guidance early in his career.

"He was back here from Australia over Christmas and New Year and he showed me the scrapbook again. There's a photo of him winning an Auckland player of the year award and I thought that was choice. I've always loved playing both games."

Rudi Wulf played rugby league as a kid but switched to union when he started at Rosmini College, initially playing halfback before working his way through the backline.

Hugo Wulf also played rugby league and Vincent Wulf, a cousin of Rudi's from Auckland, turned out for France in the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, including the quarter-final against the Kiwis at Castleford.

But the smooth-running Wulf has settled on rugby union.

His deceptive pace and strength make him a prospect in all the outside back positions.

He has attended the Wellington sevens for the past couple of seasons, after playing in the Marist tournament in the Capital, and said the atmosphere at Westpac Stadium fired his enthusiasm to play this year.

"I've never really been in any sevens representative teams," Wulf said.

"Hopefully this will help get my name up there. I hope my future [in 15s] is in the centres. I don't really have the wheels for the wing - there are a lot quicker guys than me out there."