Patric Michael Cilliers (born 3 March 1987) 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 it ...

player who won 6 caps for in 2012. He has previously played for the , and in Super Rugby and has played

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 ...

rugby for the , and , in Europe he has played for

Premiership Rugby Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition. The Premiership has consisted of thirteen clubs since 2021, and is the ...

sides Leicester Tigers and

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club which competes in the Premiership, the top division of English rugby union. The club has also competed in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, the European Champions Cup and European Challenge Cup. While ...

. His position is

prop A prop, formally known as (theatrical) property, is an object used on stage or screen by actors during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinc ...

Career

South Africa

Born in Pietermaritzburg,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

and educated at

Michaelhouse Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan valley in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. History ''St. Michael's Diocesan College'' was founded in Pietermaritzburg in 18 ...

, Cilliers began his professional career with the Sharks, but his time with the team was limited by knee injuries. He transferred with fellow Shark Michael Rhodes to the Lions at the end of the

2010 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2010 Absa Currie Cup Premier Division was the 72nd season in the competition since it started in 1889. The competition was contested from 9 July through to 30 October. It was won by the , who defeated 30–10 in the final at . Patrick Lambi ...

season. Cilliers was selected in the starting line-up for the 2011 Currie Cup final against the Sharks, and scored a try in the memorable 42-16 victory. He also played for the

Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus '' Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...

in the Super Rugby. During his time in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Dem ...

, he was also called up to the national team, making his debut on 18 August 2012 against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

. He then moved to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, where he played Super Rugby for the and

rugby for winning the 2014 Currie Cup final against his old side the Lions.

Europe

He then joined South African coach

Jake White Jake White (born 13 December 1963 as ''Jacob Westerduin'') is a professional rugby union coach and former coach of the South African national team – the ''Springboks'' – whom he coached to victory in 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Tr ...

at French

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the French National Rugby League, also known by its French initialism o ...

side , where he played from 2014 to 2016 before joining

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 Leicester Tigers prior to the 2016–2017 season. Cilliers made his Leicester debut on 4 November 2016 against Bath in an

Anglo-Welsh Cup The Anglo-Welsh Cup (), was a cross-border rugby union knock-out cup competition that featured the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs and the four Welsh regions. It was a created as a replacement for the RFU Knockout Cup, which featured only English clubs ...

match. After 26 appearances over two seasons Cilliers moved on to

in the summer of 2018. He was released ahead of the 2020–21 season.

References

External links

*
Lions ProfileLondon Irish Player Profile
1987 births Living people Afrikaner people Expatriate rugby union players in England Expatriate rugby union players in France Golden Lions players Leicester Tigers players Lions (United Rugby Championship) players London Irish players Montpellier Hérault Rugby players Rugby union players from Pietermaritzburg Rugby union props Sharks (Currie Cup) players Sharks (rugby union) players South Africa international rugby union players South African rugby union players Stormers players Western Province (rugby union) players Alumni of Michaelhouse {{SouthAfrica-rugbyunion-bio-stub