Pat Cilliers facts for kids
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| Full name | Patric Michael Cilliers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 3 March 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 113 kg (17 st 11 lb; 249 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Michaelhouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Patric Michael Cilliers, born on March 3, 1987, is a talented rugby union player from South Africa. He played for his country, the Springboks, 6 times in 2012. Pat has played for many famous teams, including the Sharks, Lions, and Stormers in a big competition called Super Rugby. He also played in the Currie Cup for teams like the Golden Lions and Western Province. Later in his career, he moved to Europe and played for English teams such as Leicester Tigers and London Irish. Pat's main position on the field is a prop, which is a very strong player in the front row.
Pat Cilliers' Rugby Journey
Starting in South Africa
Pat Cilliers was born in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. He went to school at Michaelhouse. Pat started his professional rugby career with a team called the Sharks. However, he faced some challenges early on because of knee injuries.
In 2010, Pat moved to the Lions team with his friend Michael Rhodes. This was a great move for him! In 2011, he was part of the starting team for the Currie Cup final against his old team, the Sharks. It was a memorable game, and Pat even scored a try! His team won the match 42-16. He also played for the Lions in the Super Rugby competition.
While playing in Johannesburg, Pat was called up to play for the national team, the Springboks. He made his first appearance for South Africa on August 18, 2012, against Argentina. After his time with the Lions, he moved to Cape Town. There, he played Super Rugby for the Stormers and Currie Cup rugby for Western Province. He helped Western Province win the 2014 Currie Cup final against his former team, the Lions.
Playing in Europe
After his success in South Africa, Pat Cilliers moved to Europe. He joined a French team called Montpellier in the Top 14 league. He played there from 2014 to 2016. The coach at Montpellier was Jake White, who was also from South Africa.
In 2016, Pat moved to England to play for Leicester Tigers in the English Premiership. He made his first appearance for Leicester on November 4, 2016, in an Anglo-Welsh Cup game against Bath. After playing 26 matches over two seasons for Leicester, Pat moved to London Irish in the summer of 2018. He played for London Irish until he left the team before the 2020–21 season.
