Robbie Petzer

Robbie Petzer
Full nameRobert Jacobus Petzer
Date of birth (1996-02-13) 13 February 1996 (age 28)
Place of birthParys, South Africa
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight91 kg (201 lb; 14 st 5 lb)
SchoolDie Afrikaanse Hoërskool, Kroonstad,
Noord-Kaap Hoërskool, Kimberley
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half / Centre
Current team Griffons
Youth career
2012 Griffons
2014 Griquas
2015 Western Province
2016 Griffons
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017 Griffons 1 (3)
2017 Free State Cheetahs 4 (47)
2017 Cheetahs 1 (8)
2018 SWD Eagles 8 (0)
2019–2020 Colorado Raptors 19 (106)
2019 → Griffons 10 (32)
2021 Rugby ATL 15 (43)
2022 Pumas 2 (0)
2023– Griffons ()
Correct as of 10 July 2022

Robert Jacobus Petzer (born (1996-02-13)13 February 1996) is a South African rugby union player for Rugby ATL of the Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States.

He previously played for the Glendale Raptors in the MLR.[1] His regular position is fly-half.

Rugby career

Petzer was born in Parys and initially attended high school in Kroonstad, where he earned a call-up to represent the Griffons at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in 2012. He then moved to Kimberley, where he was selected in the Griquas' Craven Week squad in 2014.

He joined the Western Province academy after school,[2] but left Cape Town after just one year to return to the Griffons. He represented them in the 2016 Under-20 Provincial Championship, finishing as the competition's third highest points scorer with 111 points.[3]

2018 turned out to be a whirlwind season for Petzer; he was named in the Griffons senior squad for the 2017 Rugby Challenge, and he made their first class debut for them in their match against the Free State XV in Welkom, where Petzer kicked one penalty in a 48–53 defeat.[4] In the second half of the season, Petzer joined the Free State Cheetahs, and he made his Currie Cup debut for the team in a match against the Golden Lions.[5] A few weeks later, injuries to a number of Cheetahs' Pro14 fly-halves — with Niel Marais, Fred Zeilinga, Ernst Stapelberg and Ryno Eksteen all injured — Petzer was called up into the squad and he started their second ever match, an 18–51 defeat to Irish side Munster in Limerick, with Petzer scoring eight of his side's points.[6] While that was his last action in the Pro14, he made a further 3 starts for in the Currie Cup competition.

He moved to George prior to the 2018 season to join the SWD Eagles. He spent one season there before joining Major League Rugby side Glendale Raptors.[7]

References

  1. ^ "SA Rugby Player Profile – Robbie Petzer". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  2. ^ "WP Rugby Strong leadership group highlights 2015 WPRI intake" (Press release). Western Province. 4 December 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  3. ^ "SA Rugby Top Scorers – 2016 SA Rugby U20 Provincial Champs". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  4. ^ "SuperSport Rugby Challenge - Match 35, Pool Stage". South African Rugby Union. 28 May 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Toyota FS Cheetahs will be playing in pink socks in support for CANSA" (Press release). Free State Cheetahs. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Wootton scores four in Munster's second bonus-point victory of the season". Guinness Pro14. 9 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Glendale Raptors Announce More Signings to Kick Off the New Year" (Press release). Glendale Raptors. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.