Michael Kenworthy Rhodes (born 19 December 1987 in

Durban, South Africa Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

) is a

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

footballer who currently plays with

English Premiership The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

. He plays as a flanker, but has been occasionally used as a lock.

Club career

Sharks

Rhodes played for the for two seasons, winning the 2008 and 2010 Currie Cup with the provincial side and featuring in the game against

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

, when they toured South Africa in 2009.

Lions

Rhodes signed up for the Golden Lions along with Sharks teammate Pat Cilliers at the end of the 2010 season. Rhodes featured occasionally for the Super Rugby side this season but spent much of the season turning out for the provincial side. Rhodes went on to win his third

Currie Cup The Currie Cup is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring (June to October), featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier ...

, playing for the provincial Golden Lions.

Stormers

He joined the for the 2013 Super Rugby season. In September 2013 Rhodes received a red card for a stamp on

Blue Bulls The Blue Bulls (known for sponsorship reasons as the Vodacom Blue Bulls) is a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament. They are governed by the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and are based at Loftus Versfe ...

captain

Jono Ross Jonathan "Jono" Ross (born 27 October 1990 in Sandton, Johannesburg) is a South African rugby union player who currently plays for and captains Premiership Rugby side Sale Sharks. His regular position is blindside flanker but he can also play at ...

. Coincidentally it was the second time that weekend a player had been expelled for stamping with Nick Wood also being sent off. Citing lack of intent in the action the disciplinary panel only suspended Rhodes for a match. Two years earlier Rhodes had faced harsher discipline after he put

Siale Piutau Siale Piutau (born 13 October 1985) is a New Zealand-born Tongan rugby union player who plays at centre. Although born and educated in New Zealand, he represented Tonga internationally from 2011 to 2019. He is the elder brother of New Zealand ...

in a headlock and the latter responded with multiple punches. Neither player was disciplined during the game but the panel suspended both for six weeks for their actions. Rhodes helped the provincial

Western Province Western Province or West Province may refer to: * Western Province, Cameroon *Western Province, Rwanda *Western Province (Kenya) *Western Province (Papua New Guinea) *Western Province (Solomon Islands) *Western Province, Sri Lanka *Western Provin ...

to their 2014 Currie Cup win, to win the trophy for the fourth time. After a stellar year, Rhodes was voted most promising forward at the annual Western Province Awards in 2014. Rhodes played regularly for Stormers during the 2015 season, helping them finish top of the South African Conference. Rhodes started at 6 as Stormers lost to

Brumbies The ACT Brumbies (known from 2005–2022 as simply the Brumbies) is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), The team competes in Super Rugby and named for the brumby, feral horses whi ...

in the qualifiers for the

2015 Super Rugby The 2015 Super Rugby season was the 20th season of Super Rugby and the fifth season featuring an expanded 15-team format. For sponsorship reasons, this competition was known as Asteron Life Super Rugby in Australia, Investec Super Rugby in New ...

finals.

Saracens

Michael Rhodes joined

from for the 2015–16. Rhodes quickly became established as Saracens' first choice 6 and a fan favourite and went on to help Saracens win the double of the Aviva Premiership and the European Champions Cup for the first time in Saracens' history. Rhodes featured in 27 games in the 2015–2016 season including starting the Champions Cup and Premiership finals and scored tries against

Sale Sharks Sale Sharks is a professional rugby union club from Greater Manchester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Originally founded in 1861 as Sale Football Club, now a distinct amateur club, they adopted the n ...

and in the Champions Cup Semi-final against

Wasps A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

. Rhodes was rewarded with his impressive debut season by being offered a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2019. Rhodes was once again an integral part of the Saracens side that went on to win the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup, and started in the final. Rhodes also started in the 2016–17 Premiership semi-final loss to

Exeter Chiefs Exeter Chiefs (officially Exeter Rugby Club) is an England, English professional rugby union club based in Exeter, Devon. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1871 and since 2006 has played i ...

. Rhodes came off in the semi-final for what would be a long-term shoulder injury. Rhodes was awarded for his hard work and ruthlessness this season by being voted as the Saracens' Players' Player of the Year and being shortlisted for the Premiership Player of the Season. Rhodes recovered from his shoulder injury in time to start the 2017–18 Premiership Rugby season. Rhodes was however plagued with injuries during this season, with recurring issues with his shoulder following surgery. He came off the bench in both the semi-final and final of the Premiership for

Nick Isiekwe Nick Isiekwe (born 20 April 1998) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a lock or flanker for Premiership Rugby side Saracens. Early life Isiekwe was born in Hemel Hempstead. Isiekwe first played rugby union at the age of ...

. His Saracens side went on to beat

for Rhodes to win his second Premiership trophy. During the 2018–19 Premiership season Rhodes reclaimed his place in the number 6 shirt and was as industrious as ever. On 13 March 2019, Rhodes received a three game ban for dangerous play on

Miles Reid Miles Anthony Reid FRS (born 30 January 1948) is a mathematician who works in algebraic geometry. Education Reid studied the Cambridge Mathematical Tripos at Trinity College, Cambridge and obtained his Ph.D. in 1973 under the supervision of P ...

during Saracens' 18-9 loss to

Bath Rugby Bath Rugby is a professional rugby union club in Bath, Somerset, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. Founded in 1865 as Bath Football Club, since 1894 the club has played at the Recreation Ground in the c ...

. Rhodes returned to the side and was key to the Saracens path to the

2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup The 2018–19 European Rugby Champions Cup (known as the Heineken Champions Cup for sponsorship reasons) is the fifth season of the European Rugby Champions Cup, the annual club rugby union competition run by European Professional Club Rugby (ECPR ...

final, including scoring a try in the semi-final win over

Munster Rugby Munster Rugby ( ga, Rugbaí Mumhan) is one of the four professional provincial rugby teams from the island of Ireland. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The team represents the IRFU's Munster B ...

. Rhodes was ruled out of the final due to back spasms, but Saracens still went on to win their third Champions Cup in four years. Rhodes returned to the side on the bench for Premiership semi-final at home to

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

and the final against

, which

went on to win 37-34. In the coronavirus-affected 2019-20 Premiership season, Rhodes played a reduced role for the Saracens team which was relegated to the

RFU Championship The RFU Championship is an English rugby union competition comprising twelve clubs. It is the second level of men’s English rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. The competition has existed since 1987, when ...

due to persistent breaches of the salary cap. He did however feature in the quarter-final victory over Leinster and semi-final defeat to Racing 92 in the 2019-20 European Champions Cup, starting in both at 6. Rhodes was amongst the players confirmed by Saracens to be staying with the club for the 2020-21 Championship Season, despite relegation. He went on to receive his 100th Saracens cap in the pre-season Trailfinders Challenge Cup. Saracens went on to finish second in the league and beat

Ealing Trailfinders Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club is an English professional rugby union club based in West London. The club's first team are the current champions of the RFU Championship but will remain in that league due to ineligibility for promotion to Premi ...

117-15 in the two-legged final. Before the final, it was announced that Rhodes would be leaving the club at the end of the season. In his final appearance in the second-leg of the final, Rhodes was sent off for a dangerous tackle and received a four week suspension.

International career

Barbarians

Rhodes was a part of the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...

side to face

Leicester Tigers Leicester Tigers (officially Leicester Football Club) are a professional rugby union club based in Leicester, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby. The club was founded in 1880 and since 1892 plays its hom ...

for their 125th Anniversary on 4 November 2014. Rhodes started at 6 and scored a try in the 26–59 thumping of the Tigers.

England

After qualifying to play for

England Rugby The England national rugby union team represents England in men's international rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won the championship on 29 occasions ...

through 3 years of residency, Rhodes was called up to Eddie Jones 44-man squad ahead of the 2018 end-of-year rugby union internationals. Rhodes was retained in the training squad for several weeks but was not selected to make an appearance, with Mark Wilson and Brad Shields preferred to him at 6.

Super Rugby statistics

Honours

Natal Sharks *

(2): 2008,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

Golden Lions *

(1):

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Stormers * Super Rugby South African Conference (1): 2015 Western Province *

(1): 2014 Saracens * Aviva Premiership (3): 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19 * European Champions Cup (3): 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018-19 *

(1): 2020-21 Individual * Western Province Most Promising Forward: 2014 * Saracens Players' Player of the Year: 2016-17 * Shortlist for Premiership Player of the Year: 2016-17

References

External links

*
Lions profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, Michael 1987 births Living people Golden Lions players Lions (United Rugby Championship) players Rugby union flankers Rugby union players from Durban Sharks (Currie Cup) players South African people of British descent South African rugby union players Stormers players Western Province (rugby union) players White South African people Alumni of Michaelhouse