Patrick Pellegrini
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (176 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Patrick Pellegrini is an Australian born Tongan rugby union fly-half who currently plays for Coventry in the Championship.[1] He also plays internationally for Tonga.[2]
Personal life[edit]
Pellegrini was born and raised in Sydney, Australia to an Australian father and Tongan mother.[3] Pellegrini also has Italian and English heritage.[4][5][6]
Club career[edit]
Pellegrini started off playing both rugby league and rugby union when he was younger but opted to focus on union when he was 14.[3]
He represented West Harbour in the Shute Shield, Randwick, and the New South Wales under-20 before coming to England to play for Sevenoaks RFC in Kent.[7][3]
He then signed for Coventry, who play in the Championship, in the summer of 2022 after a successful trial.[1][3] In the 2022–23 season, he scored nine tries in eighteen games (153 points in total).[3][5]
In September 2023, Pellegrini helped Coventry beat Premiership team Saracens in the 2023–24 Premiership Rugby Cup.[8]
International career[edit]
He made his international debut for Tonga in a World Cup warm up match against Fiji in July 2023. Tonga lost 36–20.[9] He also played two Test matches against Canada in one of which he made his first start.[10][5] In August he was not named in the squad for the World Cup. He was recalled during the pool stage in place of Otumaka Mausia, who was injured and ruled out for the rest of the competition.[11] He made his World Cup debut by playing three games and scoring a try against South Africa.[10][4][5][12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Lewis, Dan (7 June 2022). "Coventry Welcomes Pellegrini!". Coventry Rugby.
- ^ "Coventry star Pat Pellegrini called up to Tonga squad for July internationals". 14 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Smith, Paul. "You need to know about Pat Pellegrini". Rugbypass.
- ^ a b "Pellegrini's odyssey from Sydney to Coventry to Tonga and a Rugby World Cup try against the Boks". AP News. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d Floccari, Matteo (3 October 2023). "Rugby - La storia di Patrick Pellegrini, un tongano particolare in meta contro il Sudafrica". On Rugby (in Italian). Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ Schofield, Daniel (24 September 2023). "The incredible journey of Pat Pellegrini: From level 5 club rugby to playing for Tonga at World Cup". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 April 2024.(subscription required)
- ^ "Patrick Pellegrini". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Coventry upset Saracens in Premiership Rugby Cup". BBC Sport. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Coventry star Pat Pellegrini makes Tonga debut". Coventry Observer. 25 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Patrick PELLEGRINI". All Rugby (in French). Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Coventry Rugby star Pellegrini called-up to Tonga's World Cup squad". Coventry Observer. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Coventry's Pellegrini shines for Tonga at the Rugby World Cup". Coventry Observer. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.