Nürtingen / Bissingen. Marcus Bachofer did not have a picture book career in rugby. Once a complete late starter at age 20, a tibia and fibula fracture occurred at age 25, including a mandatory break of about a year and a half – despite this, the Weilheim native was once a German champion and German Cup winner. Were. TV/CFR Pforzheim as well as a two-time national player.
This wild-looking game’s excursions into very high places ended when he was under 30. Higher expenses with practice units in Pforzheim and selection training in Heidelberg had nothing to do with income, the former Bundesliga player said today. “Sometimes I used to spend more hours on the road than at home,” recalls Bachofer. Indeed, the former youth footballer of SV Nabern and a youth table tennis player from TSV Weilheim later largely disbanded rugby. “But the fire is burning again,” says the project manager at a medium-sized Weilheim company.
And there’s a reason for that: In 2020, the father of two will be considered a rugby optimist in the district of Esslingen, where the sport exudes a distinct existence. Bachofer is involved in the Tigers, the rugby division of TB Nekarhausen. A new career in the district of Nürtingen came by chance. “Actually, I wanted to coach the U16 youth team at the Tigers,” says the 1.90m tall and about 115kg old hand.
Tigers head managers Alexander Bauer and Stephan Hahn, still know Bachofer well from the days before, and asked him if he could envision working on Neckar. Last year he stopped in a practice unit at the old Neckarhausen sports ground and after a while joined the regional league team. “The rugby in Neckarhausen is very familiar,” judges Bachöfer. After the first training session, it was clear to him that he would stay.
Recently his work got a new dynamic. The 30-year-old officially took over the coaching position for the Tigers, who are in the Baden-Württemberg regional league as SG Rottweil/Neckarhausen and are currently last in the table. The previous coach, Richard Schwarz, resigned before Christmas. “Marcus helps us build something,” says Tigers public relations worker Stephan Erb.
On the one hand, it’s about setting the team up in the sporting landscape, and on the other, about permanent work with young talent – not an easy task, especially since playing rugby has little to do with a casual coffee party. Is. Bloody noses are part of everyday business. “Then you have to put your thumb in the nose to stop the bleeding,” recommends Bachofer, smiling. Recently a teammate broke his nose in a match and almost cried – not in pain, but because he was not allowed to continue playing. Serious injuries are certainly less common than in other team sports. If it cracks or hurts, the ligaments, tendons or facial area is usually affected. “The fracture of my tibia and fibula on my right leg at the time was not a typical rugby injury, but a series of unfortunate circumstances,” recalls Marcus Bachofer.
hardly a bad thing
However, the new Tigers coach sees potential in this area despite these tough examples. Rugby is a “mental sport” that is tough, but mostly fair. “Also, there is rarely a disturbing call from the spectators, as in football,” said the Tigers coach, “attacking the referee is unimaginable.” There is already a clear code of conduct for this among the youth.
In Neckarhausen, Marcus Bachofer does not want to be on the local stage for long. “I think a third, if not a second division, is possible with the Tigers because of good general conditions,” he says. There is no doubt that there is room for improvement for the Tigers: in the first half of the current season, there was only one win. raymund elbe
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