{{short description|German rugby union player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox rugby biography | name = Alexander Widiker | image = | caption = | birth_name = Alexander Widiker | birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1982|04|27}} | birth_place = Kustanay, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union | death_date = | death_place = | height = {{height|m=1.72}} | weight = {{convert|110|kg|stlb lb|0|abbr=on}} | position = Prop | amatyears1 = | amatteam1 = TB Rohrbach | amatteam2 = SC Neuenheim | ru_amupdate = | years1 = 2006–2010 | years2 = 2010– | clubs1 = RC Orléans | clubs2 = Heidelberger RK | apps1 = 65 | apps2 = 33 | points1 = 35 | points2 = 45 | ru_clubupdate = | repyears1 = 2000–2015 | repteam1 = Germany | repcaps1 = 59 | reppoints1 = | ru_ntupdate = | repsevensyears1 = | ru_sevensupdate = | repsevenscomp1 = | coachteams1 = | coachyears1 = | ru_coachupdate = }}
'''Alexander Widiker''' (born 27 April 1982)<ref name="Drv" >[http://www.rugby-verband.de/?data[pageid]=12&data[newsid]=r01cqe Alexander Widiker profile] {{in lang|de}} at the ''DRV'' website, accessed: 21 March 2011</ref> is a German international rugby union player, playing for Heidelberger RK in the Rugby-Bundesliga and, formerly, the German national rugby union team.<ref name=Alex >[http://www.totalrugby.de/component/option,com_joomleague/func,showPlayer/p,6/pid,32/Itemid,250/ Alexander Widiker] {{in lang|de}} totalrugby.de, accessed: 27 February 2010</ref>
Widiker played in the 2011 and 2012 German championship final for Heidelberger RK, which the club both won, with Widiker scoring a try in the 2011 game.
Widiker is one of the few German players who has successfully played abroad. From 2006 to 2010, he played for the RC Orléans in the Fédérale 1, alongside two other German internationals, the brothers Matthieu and Guillaume Franke.<ref>[http://www.totalrugby.de/content/view/1635/37/ DRV-Stürmer Alexander Widiker verlängert in Orléans] {{in lang|de}} totalrugby.de, published: 5 June 2009, accessed: 27 February 2010</ref> In his last season with ''RCO'' he was also the team's captain.<ref name="Drv" />
==Biography== Widiker was born 27 April 1982 in Kustanay, Soviet Union (present day Kostanay, Kazakhstan), as one of three children, as an ethnic German. His parents, Friedrich and Emilia Widiker, are of Volga German descent. Widiker's grandparents were forcefully removed from the former Volga German Republic to the Kazakh SSR. When Widiker was eleven years old, his family moved to Germany. Initially, the family moved to Bramsche in Lower Saxony but was then allocated accommodation in Leipzig. Eventually, the family chose to move to Wiesloch, near Heidelberg.<ref name="Drv" />
Widiker, who played association football, ice hockey and basketball in Kazakhstan, only began playing rugby when going to school in Germany. He joined the TB Rohrbach, which later merged its youth team with the SC Neuenheim, where he made his debut in the senior team at the age of 17. He played for the German Under-17 and Under-19 team, taking part in two world championships, before making his debut for the senior side on 21 October 2001 against Sweden.<ref name="Drv" />
Before moving to France, Widiker, who has been playing rugby since 1994, won two German championships with his former club, SC Neuenheim, in 2003 and 2004.<ref name="Alex"/>
Widiker was scheduled to return to Germany for the 2010–11 season to play for SC Neuenheim once more,<ref>[http://www.totalrugby.de/content/view/394/41/ TotalRugby Wechselbörse] {{in lang|de}} totalrugby.de, accessed: 30 April 2010</ref> but instead joint Heidelberger RK. He is also the new German captain, leading the team for the first time on 20 November 2010 against Poland.<ref>[http://www.rugby-journal.de/index.php/basis/meldung/widiker_fuer_mich_zaehlt_nur_der_aufstieg/ Widiker: “Für mich zählt nur der Aufstieg”]{{Dead link|date=October 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} {{in lang|de}} ''Rugby-Journal'', published: 19 November 2010, accessed: 21 November 2010</ref>
With the final game against Moldova, Alexander Widiker played his 50th game for his country, thereby equaling Horst Kemmling's record of number of internationals for the ''DRV''.<ref>[http://www.rugby-verband.de/?data[pageid]=12&data[newsid]=zi6d8r Rekord für Snakko] {{in lang|de}} ''DRV'' website, accessed: 7 April 2012</ref> He overtook Kemmling's record when he played his 51st game against Ukraine on 27 October 2012.<ref>[http://www.totalrugby.de/content/view/5692/37/ Deutsche 15er-Herren gewinnen EM-Auftakt gegen Ukraine] {{in lang|de}} totalrugby.de, published: 27 October 2012, accessed: 1 November 2012</ref>
Widiker retired from international rugby after a record 58 games for Germany after a 76–12 win against the Czech Republic in April 2014, citing increased personal and business commitments as his reason.<ref>[http://www.totalrugby.de/content/view/6725/37/ Der Kapitän geht von Bord] {{in lang|de}} totalrugby.de, published: 4 April 2014, accessed: 24 April 2014</ref> He however returned to the German team one more time in May in the decisive world cup qualifier against Russia which Germany lost.<ref>[http://www.abendblatt.de/sport/welt-des-sports/article128344246/Deutschland-kaempft-in-Hamburg-gegen-Russland-um-das-WM-Ticket.html Deutschland kämpft in Hamburg gegen Russland um das WM-Ticket] {{in lang|de}} ''Hamburger Abendblatt'', published: 23 May 2014, accessed: 25 May 2014</ref>
==Honours==
===Club=== * '''German rugby union championship''' ** '''Champions''': 2003, 2004, 2011, 2012, 2013 * '''German rugby union cup''' ** '''Winners''': 2001, 2011
===National team=== * '''European Nations Cup – Division 2''' ** '''Champions''': 2008
==Stats== Alexander Widiker's personal statistics in club and international rugby:<ref name="Alex"/><ref>[http://www.itsrugby.fr/joueur_6753.html Widiker Alexander] {{in lang|fr}} itsrugby.fr, accessed: 27 February 2010</ref>
===Club=== {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Team ! Competition ! Games ! Points ! Place |- align="center" | 2006–07 | rowspan=4| RC Orléans | rowspan=4| Fédérale 1 | 17 | 5 | |- align="center" | 2007–08 | 10 | 5 | |- align="center" | 2008–09 | 17 | 15 | |- align="center" | 2009–10 | 21 | 10 | |- align="center" | 2010–11 | rowspan=4| Heidelberger RK | rowspan=4| Rugby-Bundesliga | 17 | 30 | bgcolor="#FFD700"| 1st – Champions |- align="center" | 2011–12 | 16 | 15 | bgcolor="#FFD700"| 1st – Champions |- align="center" | 2012–13 | | | bgcolor="#FFD700"| 1st – Champions |- align="center" | 2013–14 | | | |} * <small>''Updated 4 December 2013''</small>
===National team===
====European Nations Cup==== {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Team ! Competition ! Games ! Points ! Place |- align="center" | 2006–2008 | Germany | European Nations Cup Second Division | 8 | 0 | bgcolor="#FFD700"| Champions |- align="center" | 2008–2010 | Germany | European Nations Cup First Division | 10 | 0 | 6th – Relegated |- align="center" | 2010–2012 | Germany | European Nations Cup Division 1B | 10 | 5 | 4th |- align="center" | 2012–2014 | Germany | European Nations Cup Division 1B | 8 | 15 | ''ongoing'' |}
====Friendlies & other competitions==== {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Team ! Competition ! Games ! Points |- align="center" | 2007 | rowspan=3| Germany | rowspan=3| Friendly | 1 | 0 |- align="center" | 2008 | 1 | 0 |- align="center" | 2010 | 1 | 5 |} * <small>''Updated 24 April 2014''</small>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.scrum.com/statsguru/rugby/player/91288.html Alexander Widiker] at scrum.com * {{in lang|de}} [http://www.totalrugby.de/component/option,com_joomleague/func,showPlayer/p,6/pid,32/Itemid,250/ Alexander Widiker] at totalrugby.de * {{in lang|de}} [http://www.rugby-verband.de/?data[pageid]=51&data[subpage]=spielkader&data[kader]=1&data[playerid]=i1q4iz Alexander Widiker] at the ''DRV'' website
{{Germany Squad 2006-2008 ENC Second Division}} {{Germany Squad 2008-2010 ENC First Division}} {{Germany Squad 2010-2012 ENC First Division}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Widiker, Alexander}} Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:German rugby union players Category:Germany international rugby union players Category:Expatriate rugby union players in France Category:RC Orléans players Category:SC Neuenheim players Category:Heidelberger RK players Category:Rugby union props Category:Sportspeople from Kostanay Category:People of Volga German descent Category:Kazakhstani people of German descent Category:German expatriate rugby union players Category:German expatriate sportspeople in France Category:Kazakhstani emigrants to Germany