Eric Peters (rugby union)

Eric Peters (born 28 January 1969) is a Scottish former amateur and professional rugby union player, usually playing at Number 8, who rose to captain the Scotland national rugby union team.

Eric Peters
Date of birth (1969-01-28) 28 January 1969
Place of birthGlasgow, Scotland
Height1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight105 kg (16 st 7 lb)
SchoolBrentwood School
UniversityCambridge University
Occupation(s)Chartered Surveyor
Rugby union career
Position(s) Number eight
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Loughborough Students
Cambridge University R.U.F.C.		 ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1993–2000
2000–2001
2002
2002
2002–2003		 Bath Rugby
Harlequins
Fylde
Rotherham
Connacht		 ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1995–1999 Scotland 29 (25)

Early life

Born in Scotland Peters attended Brentwood School,[1] and Cambridge University, where he became captain of rugby. He played rugby for England at both Under 21 and Student level, before choosing to play for Scotland at senior level.[2]

Rugby career

He joined Bath Rugby club in September 1993,[3] when rugby union was still an amateur game, so he also qualified as a Chartered Surveyor and worked for a property consultant. He was a replacement for Bath in the victorious 1998 Heineken Cup Final as they defeated Brive.[4]

He first played for Scotland against Canada, in January 1995, and became a professional player when the code was changed in 1996. He was first appointed Scottish captain for the 1999 match against Italy, but sustained a shattered kneecap in April 1999, and was out of the game for over a year. In March 2000, whilst still undergoing rehabilitation and surgery on his knee, it was discovered that he had testicular cancer, which was successfully treated with chemotherapy.[5]

Peters scored a memorable try in 1995 vs Wales at Murrayfield, regarded by Bill Mclaren as "one of the great tries".

Whilst still injured, he left Bath and joined Harlequins, who he first played for in December 2000. Leaving Harlequins in 2001, he briefly joined Fylde and Rotherham before joining Connacht in 2002.[6] He also briefly returned to the Scotland team in 2002.[7] Peters usually played in the Number 8 position, is 1.96m tall and had a playing weight of 105 kg

Later career

Retiring from professional rugby in 2003, Peters became a Chartered Surveyor and Senior Associate at property consultants King Sturge,[8] for whom he still plays rugby sevens, helping them win the RICS tournament 3 years in a row.[9] He also commentates on rugby for BBC Radio 5 Live and is a celebrity supporter of the Orchid cancer charity.[10]

References
  1. School – Famous Old Brentwoods Archived 11 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 February 2009
  2. Gordon Poole Agency Biography. Retrieved 5 February 2009
  3. Bath rugby press release of 5 July 2000. Retrieved 5 February 2009
  4. "The Third Heineken Cup Final". epcrugby.com. 31 January 1998. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
  5. "Peters targets Test return". BBC Sport. 28 November 2000. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  6. "Connacht sign Peters". BBC News. 13 August 2002. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  7. Griffith, Wyn (18 June 2002). "Scots replace Petrie with Penguin Peters". The Independent. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  8. King Sturge staff list. Retrieved 5 February 2009
  9. RICS article "Ballpark Figures" 03 December 2007 Archived 20 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 February 2009
  10. Orchid Cancer Celebrity Supporters Archived 6 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 February 2009
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