Michael Horak
| Birth name | Michael John Horak | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 3 June 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 92 kg (14 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Grey College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Michael John Horak (born 3 June 1977) is a South African former
Background
Michael Horak was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Career
Playing career
After playing for the Free State Schools Craven Week side in 1995 and the Free State U21s in 1996 he moved to Australia to play rugby league, and played for the Perth Reds.[1] He has also played for South Africa, including at the 1997 Super League World Nines.[2]
Horak was signed by Bob Dwyer for the Leicester Tigers in 1997[3] and became Leicester's first-choice full back, replacing the retiring John Liley and ahead of Fijian international Waisale Serevi. He also played for the England U21 side. However, he dropped to third choice after Tiger's signing of Tim Stimpson and Geordan Murphy.
Horak subsequently followed Dwyer to Bristol[4] before signing for London Irish in 1999. He left Irish in 2000 but re-signed in 2001.[2]
He started in the 2002 Powergen Cup Final at Twickenham, scoring a try as London Irish defeated the Northampton Saints.[5]
His solitary
After spending two seasons with
He is a tall player with a big left boot.[9]Coaching career
In 2010, Free State Cheetahs head coach Naka Drotské appointed Horak as the defence coach and head of the Cheetahs academy prior to the 2010 Currie Cup Premier Division competition.[10] He became the general manager of the team in 2011[11] and also helped out as defensive coach at the Griffons in 2011.[12]
At the end of 2012, he relinquished his role as general manager at the
but still continued as Cheetahs defensive coach.At the start of 2014, it was announced that he signed a five-year contract to join the
References
- ^ Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ a b "London Irish profile". London Irish official site. 30 June 2007. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ Trow, Paul (17 August 1997). "England's super 12: Club-by-club guide to the Allied Dunbar Premiership". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ Hewett, Chris (10 May 1999). "Bristol promoted in top drawer fashion". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ "Exiles claim Cup glory". BBC. 20 April 2002. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ "Argentina beaten by England youngsters". BBC. 22 June 2002. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ "Trio to join Saracens for new campaign". Saracens official site. 14 April 2009. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ "Saracens announce retirement of Michael Horak". Saracens.com. 6 January 2010. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ "BBC report on signing". BBC. 15 April 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2009.
- ^ "Vrystaat-lakwerk teen Haaie getoets". Media24 (in Afrikaans). Beeld. 27 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Os brei VS-agttal". Media24 (in Afrikaans). Beeld. 22 June 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Perses toets Bul-diepte". Media24 (in Afrikaans). Beeld. 10 July 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Hawies VRU se hoof van rugbysake". Media24 (in Afrikaans). Beeld. 7 November 2011. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Horak to join Eastern Province Rugby in 2014" (Press release). Eastern Province Rugby Union. 3 January 2014. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Horak and Kings part ways" (Press release). Eastern Province Kings. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.