Kurt Haupt

Kurt Stanley Haupt (born 17 January 1989) is a South African-born German international rugby union player, who most recently played with Worcester Warriors.[1] His regular position is hooker.

Kurt Haupt

Full name	Kurt Stanley Haupt
Date of birth	17 January 1989
Place of birth	Johannesburg, South Africa
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	109 kg (240 lb; 17 st 2 lb)
School	St. Alban's College, Pretoria
University	University of Pretoria
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker Youth career 2007–2010 Blue Bulls Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2009–2012 UP Tuks 9 (0) Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2013 Blue Bulls 2 (0) 2014–2017 SWD Eagles 48 (85) 2017 Southern Kings 8 (0) 2017–2018 → Worcester Warriors 12 (5) Correct as of 29 May 2018 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2018–present Germany 1 (5) Correct as of 12 November 2018

Rugby career

2007–2012: Youth and Varsity Cup rugby

Haupt was born in Johannesburg, but attended St. Alban's College in nearby Pretoria. He was selected to represent the Pretoria-based Blue Bulls on one occasions during his high school career – at the Under-18 Academy Week in 2007.

After school, Haupt enrolled and played rugby for the University of Pretoria. He was included in their Varsity Cup squads from 2009 to 2012, but only made nine appearances during that time, of which only three were starts. He was also named in the Blue Bulls U21 squad in 2010, but to make any appearances for them.[2]

2013: Blue Bulls

Haupt was included in the Blue Bulls squad for the 2013 Vodacom Cup and made his first class debut in March 2013, starting their 40–32 victory over Griquas.[3] He also came on as a replacement against the Golden Lions XV a fortnight later[4] in his only other senior appearance for the Blue Bulls.

2014–2017: SWD Eagles

In May 2014, the George-based SWD Eagles signed Haupt following a recommendation from national team coach Heyneke Meyer.[5] He went straight into their first team for their 2014 Currie Cup qualification campaign, featuring in all six of their matches. He came on as a replacement in their first match of the season against the Leopards, making his debut in the Currie Cup competition and also scoring his first senior try within quarter of an hour of coming on.[6] Haupt played off the bench to score another try in their 40–37 victory over the Griffons a week later[7] and found himself promoted to the starting lineup against the Falcons.[8] He scored a second try in their 33–31 victory over the Border Bulldogs[9] as the SWD Eagles finished in fourth place[10] to qualify for a place in the Currie Cup First Division. He started all five of their matches in the regular season to finish in third place[11] and also started their 43–45 semi-final defeat to eventual champions the Griffons.[12]

Haupt appeared in the Vodacom Cup for the SWD Eagles for the first time in 2015, making three starts in the competition. The first of those saw him score a try against the Sharks XV,[13] while his final appearance was in their quarter final match against a Golden Lions XV, where a 21–29 defeat saw the Eagles eliminated from the competition.[14] A poor showing in the 2015 Currie Cup qualification series saw the SWD Eagles finish bottom of the log,[15] with Haupt featuring in four of their six matches, of which they managed to win just one. An improved showing in the First Division saw the Eagles win four matches in a row during the regular season to secure a semi-final spot, with Haupt featuring in all five of their matches during the regular season, scoring a brace of tries against the Griffons in the final one of those[16] as his side leapfrogged the Falcons into third spot.[17] A 47–40 victory over the Griffons in the semi-final[18] was followed by a 20–44 defeat to the Leopards in the final,[19] with Haupt appearing as a replacement in both matches.

He made six starts and three appearances as a replacement in the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series, in a prolific spell that saw him score five tries, in matches against Griquas,[20] the Welwitschias,[21] the Blue Bulls,[22] Western Province[23] and the Golden Lions XV[24] to finish third behind Mark Pretorius and Daniel Roberts on the SWD Eagles' try scorers list.[25] The team again qualified to the First Division, and Haupt followed up a try against the Leopards[26] with a brace against the Border Bulldogs,[27] but it was not enough to see the team through to the semi-finals, finishing in fifth spot.[28]

References

1. "SA Rugby Player Profile – Kurt Haupt". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
2. "SA Rugby Squad – Blue Bulls : 2010 ABSA Under 21 Competition". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
3. "SA Rugby Match Centre – GWK Griquas 32-40 Vodacom Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 9 March 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
4. "SA Rugby Match Centre – MTN Golden Lions 26-54 Vodacom Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 23 March 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
5. "SWD soek ervare no.2". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 27 May 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
6. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Leopards 51-23 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
7. "SA Rugby Match Centre – SWD Eagles 40-37 Down Touch Griffons". South African Rugby Union. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
8. "SA Rugby Match Centre – SWD Eagles 34-52 Valke". South African Rugby Union. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
9. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Border 31-33 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 4 July 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
10. "SA Rugby Log – 2014 Absa Currie Cup Qualifiers". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
11. "SA Rugby Log – 2014 Absa Currie Cup First Division". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
12. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Down Touch Griffons 45-43 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
13. "SA Rugby Match Centre – SWD Eagles 36-13 Cell C Sharks XV". South African Rugby Union. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
14. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Xerox Golden Lions 29-21 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
15. "SA Rugby Log – 2015 Absa Currie Cup Qualifying". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
16. "SA Rugby Match Centre – SWD Eagles 27-24 Down Touch Griffons". South African Rugby Union. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
17. "SA Rugby Log – 2015 Absa Currie Cup First Division". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
18. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Down Touch Griffons 40-47 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 3 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
19. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Leopards 44-20 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
20. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Griquas 27-17 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
21. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Windhoek Draught Welwitschias 5-96 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
22. "SA Rugby Match Centre – SWD Eagles 23-28 Vodacom Blue Bulls". South African Rugby Union. 24 June 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
23. "SA Rugby Match Centre – DHL Western Province 45-17 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 2 July 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
24. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Xerox Golden Lions XV 35-29 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
25. "SA Rugby Try Scorers – 2016 Currie Cup Qualifying". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
26. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Leopards 49-31 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
27. "SA Rugby Match Centre – Border 31-24 SWD Eagles". South African Rugby Union. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
28. "SA Rugby Log – 2016 Currie Cup First Division". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 21 October 2016.