Demetri Catrakilis (, born on 6 July 1989) is a South African former professional

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player. He played for Premiership side Harlequins,

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 National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...

side , for the and the in

Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Super Rugby started as the S ...

and

Pro 14 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. For sponsorship reasons the league is known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in ...

, for in the

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

and

Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup was an annual rugby union competition in South Africa. Annual Vodacom Cup competitions were played between its inaugural season in 1998 and 2015 and was contested between February and May each year. The Vodacom Cup was the succes ...

competitions and for the in the

Varsity Cup Varsity Cup is the collective name for four South African rugby union competitions involving the top rugby playing universities in the country. It was launched in 2008, with eight teams participating in the Varsity Cup competition and each unive ...

. His regular playing position was fly-half.

Early career

School

Catrakilis attended St John's College in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

where he played in the first team from the age of fifteen, and went on to captain the team in his final school year.

Golden Lions

Catrakilis represented the Under-18 team in the 2007 Academy Week as their first-choice fly half. He was then chosen to represent the team for the 2008 Under-19 Provincial Championship. He helped the Golden Lions reach the semi-finals of the competition, where they lost 25–28 to the .

Racing Métro 92

Following Catrakilis' Under-19 Provincial Championship season with the Golden Lions, he then joined the youth team of French

side

Racing Métro 92 Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity domed stadium Paris La Défense Arena, l ...

, where he enjoyed a brief stint with the Under-23 squad in 2009, before returning home to South Africa.

Varsity Cup

Catrakilis played for the during the

2011 Varsity Cup The 2011 Varsity Cup was contested from 7 February to 11 April 2011. The tournament (also known as the ''FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International'' for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth season of the Varsity Cup, an annual inter-u ...

after a season for Western Province Super League club False Bay. He was the highest point scorer of the tournament with 136 points in his debut

season, helping the Ikey Tigers to win their first Varsity Cup. They beat 26–16 in the final with Catrakilis picking up the Man of the Match award.

Professional career

2011 : Western Province

After the successful Varsity Cup, Catrakilis was drafted into the

team for their quarter-final loss to the in

2011 Vodacom Cup The 2011 Vodacom Cup was contested from 25 February to 13 May 2011. The tournament was the 14th edition of the Vodacom Cup, an annual domestic South African rugby union competition, and was played between the fourteen provincial teams in South ...

. Catrakilis got his chance to play in the first week of the

2011 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2011 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 73rd season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from July to October 2011. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) is the to ...

season against the and came off the substitutes' bench in the last minute to make his

debut. Due to injures in the fly-halves position at Western Province, Catrakilis was chosen to start the following week against the in

Potchefstroom Potchefstroom ( ; ), colloquially known as Potch, is an college town, academic city in the North West (South African province), North West Province of South Africa. It hosts the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University. Potchefstro ...

. He marked his starting debut by scoring 22 points as Western Province won the match 47–9. He remained as the starting fly-half throughout the season of Western Province's Currie Cup season. Catrakilis won the ABSA Currie Cup Player of the Month for August and also delivered a Man of the Match performance against the then-unbeaten and eventual champions in a 28–26 win in Round Six of the competition with a 100% kicking success rate and a drop goal. He eventually scored a total of 150 points with the boot and helped Western Province reach the semi-finals. His performances saw him awarded the Western Province Club's Player of the Year.

2012 : Western Province

After being left out of the squad for the in Super Rugby, he continued his career in the

2012 Vodacom Cup The 2012 Vodacom Cup was played between 10 March and 18 May 2012 and was the 15th edition of this annual domestic cup competition. The Vodacom Cup is played between rugby union teams in South Africa from the Currie Cup Premier and First Division ...

with Western Province, helping them win the tournament and going through the season unbeaten. Catrakilis finished second on the top-point scorer's list with 127 points in the competition and also scoring the winning conversion in the final against the Griquas. In November 2012, he was awarded with the Vodacom Cup player of the year award for his successful campaign. After the Vodacom Cup, Catrakilis was retained as the first-choice fly-half for Western Province for their

2012 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2012 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 74th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 11 August to 27 October 2012. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) is ...

campaign. He had a starring role in the final against the Sharks at Kings Park, where he kicked three penalties and slotted two drop kicks – one with each foot – in the final quarter of the game, to help Western Province to win the match 25–18 to win their first Currie Cup title since 2001. He accumulated a total 136 points during the 2012 season.

2013 : Southern Kings

In August 2012, it was announced that he would join the prior to the 2013 season on a two-year deal. He was subsequently named in the Kings' squad for the

2013 Super Rugby season The 2013 Super Rugby season was the third season of the new 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The tournament was won by the Chiefs, who defeated the Canberra-based Brumbi ...

and made his

debut for them on 23 February 2013, when the Southern Kings played their first ever match in the Super Rugby competition against the in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha ( , ), formerly named Port Elizabeth, and colloquially referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipal ...

. Catrakilis scored four penalties in the Kings' historical 22–10 victory over the Force. Catrakilis remained the first choice fly-half for the Kings for the duration of the 2013 Super Rugby season, making fourteen appearances in the competition and scoring 37 penalties, 14 conversions and a drop goal to finish with a tally of 142 points. He also started the first leg of the 2013 Super Rugby Promotion/relegation play-offs against the , scoring three penalties. Catrakilis was largely responsible for helping the Kings to two away victories in their maiden season. On 5 April 2013, he was struggling with an injury and demoted to the bench for their match against the in

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, but came on as a substitute in the 76th minute of the match. A try from number eight Cornell du Preez three minutes into injury time pulled the score back to 28–26 to the Brumbies and Catrakilis converted the subsequent conversion to secure a 28–28 draw. Their very next match also ended in dramatic fashion when a

Wimpie van der Walt Petrus Willem van der Walt (born 6 January 1989 in Brits, North West) is a South African-born Japanese rugby union player who represents at international level and is currently playing with NTT DoCoMo Red Hurricanes in the Japanese Top League. ...

try and subsequent Catrakilis conversion from the corner tied the scores at 27–27 in the Kings' match against the in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. However, three minutes into injury time, Catrakilis scored a drop goal for the Kings to clinch the match 30–27 and secure their first ever victory on foreign soil in their first Super Rugby season. Catrakilis also scored four conversions and two penalties in the Kings' 34–27 victory over the in

. This was the only time the Kings achieved a bonus point win during the 2013 season.

2013 : Return to Western Province

After the lost their Super Rugby status in the 2013 Super Rugby Promotion/relegation play-offs against the , Catrakilis returned to , signing a two-year deal with the

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

team. Despite being injured for the opening rounds of the

2013 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2013 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 75th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 10 August to 26 October 2013. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) wa ...

, he returned to Western Province squad for their match against . He played off the bench in the match against Griquas, as well as against the the following week, where he scored a match-winning drop goal in a 29–27 victory. He returned to the starting line-up for the for the remaining two matches of the regular season to guide his team to the

semi-finals. He scored a try and kicked 17 points in their 33–16 victory over the in the semi-final, but ended up on the losing side in the final – the first in Cape Town since 2001 – as the ran out 33–19 winners.

2014 : Stormers

In 2014, Catrakilis was selected for in the squad for the

2014 Super Rugby season The 2014 Super Rugby season is the fourth season of the 15-team format for the Super Rugby competition involving teams from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. For sponsorship reasons, this competition is known as Asteron Life Super Rugby ...

. He made his debut in the away loss to the at Ellis Park in the Stormers opening match of the tournament. The Stormers then hosted the at Newlands, where Catrakilis kicked the winning conversion in the final moments of the match in a 19–18 win. He made appearances in the remainder of the competition and, although a nose break ruled him out for a number of weeks, he finished the competition with 44 points.

2014 : Western Province

Catrakilis was handed the number 10 jersey at the start of the

2014 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 76th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 9 August to 25 October 2014. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) is ...

competition and he helped to victories in all ten matches that he started. Western Province finished the regular season of the competition at the top of the log, securing home advantage in both the semi-final and the final, with Catrakilis contributing a personal points tally of 39 points. Western Province reached the 2014 Currie Cup final after a 31–23 win over the in a semi-final at Newlands, with Catrakilis contributing 16 points from the kicking tee. Jaco Taute scored Western Province's only try of the match, with Catrakilis converting the try and kicking four penalties as Western Province won the match 19–16 to win the 2014 Currie Cup, their second Currie Cup title in three years. Catrakilis' performance was awarded with the ABSA Man of the Match award. He ended the campaign as the joint-top point scorer alongside the '

Jacques-Louis Potgieter Jacques-Louis Potgieter (born 2 September 1984 in Pretoria) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with French side . His regular position is fly-half. Career He made his Super 14 debut for the against the in 2007. In 200 ...

with 123 points.

2015 : Stormers

The built on 's Currie Cup success by finishing the

2015 Super Rugby season 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 ...

as South African Conference Winners. They were eliminated in the playoffs following a 19–39 loss to the at Newlands. Catrakilis finished the season as the top South African points scorer with 170 points, converting 62 of his 71 attempts at goal to finish with an 87% success rate.

2015 : Western Province

Catrakilis started the first four of Western Province's matches in the

2015 Currie Cup Premier Division The 2015 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 77th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 7 August to 24 October 2015. The tournament (known as the Absa Group Limited, Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for spon ...

and made a further three appearances off the bench – scoring 53 points in his seven appearances – before being released by Western Province to take up a contract with Montpellier.

2015–2017 : Montpellier

In January 2015, Catrakilis signed a contract to join

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

side to link up with former South African World Cup winning head coach

Jake White Jacob Charles 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 ...

. In Catrakilis's first season with Montpellier, he won the

2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup The 2015–16 European Rugby Challenge Cup was the second edition of the European Rugby Challenge Cup, an annual pan-European rugby union competition for professional clubs. It is also the 20th season of the Challenge Cup competition in all forms, ...

with a 26–19 victory over Harlequins. He also finished as the competition's Top Point scorer with a total of 79 points. Montpellier then went on to finish third in the Top 14 season, however they lost to

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

in the semi-finals with a score of 27–18. The following season saw Montpellier finish in third place once again in the Top 14, however their season ended with a 13–22 loss to

Racing 92 Racing 92 () is a French professional rugby union club based in the Hauts-de-Seine department, Paris' western inner Banlieue, suburbs that competes in Top 14. The club plays its home matches at the 30,681-capacity Stadium#Types, domed stadium Pa ...

in the quarter-finals of the competition.

2017 : Harlequins

Catrakilis made the move to England to join Premiership side Harlequins prior to the 2017–2018 season. He missed a large part of his first season at Harlequins after suffering a life-threatening injury where he broke a bone in his throat. After a lengthy lay off, he made a full recovery and returned to the playing field.

2019–present : Return to Southern Kings

In May 2019, it was announced that Catrakilis would return to the . He signed a one-year loan deal for the 2019–20 season from the Harlequins, with an option to extend to a second season.

International career

On 22 May 2013, Catrakilis was selected for a

Springboks The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabhokobhoko) is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...

training camp prior to a Quadrangular test series featuring

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and

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. Subsequently, Catrakilis was also included in a Springbok training camp leading up to the

2015 Rugby World Cup The IRB 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was ...

Honours and records

UCT Ikey Tigers

: winner * 2011 Varsity Cup: Top points scorer * 2011 Varsity Cup Final: Man of the Match

Western Province

: August Player of the Month * 2011: Western Province Club's Player of the Year. *

: winner * 2012 Vodacom Cup: Player of the Year *

: winner *

: winner * 2014 Currie Cup Final: Man of the Match * 2014 Currie Cup: Joint top points scorer

Kings

After the

, Catrakilis held the following records for the franchise: * Most points in a match: 15 (achieved twice – vs and ) * Most conversions in a match: 4 (vs ) * Most penalties in a match: 5 (vs ) * Most drop goals in a match: 1 (vs ) * Most points in a season: 142 * Most conversions in a season: 14 * Most penalties in a season: 37 * Most drop goals in a season: 1

Stormers

: Joint all-time record holder for most consecutive successful goal attempts – 28 * 2015 Super Rugby season: South African Conference winners * 2015 Super Rugby: Top South African points scorer

Montpellier

: winner. *

: Top Point Scorer. * 2016-17

: Player of the week. * 2016-17

: Team of the month.

Statistics

Soccer

Catrakilis was also a talented

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

at youth level; in 2005, he was selected for an Invitational South Africa team that played in the Brazil Cup. and he also spent 2007 with South African

Premier Soccer League The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is the administrative body for professional soccer leagues and cups in South Africa. It is based in Johannesburg, and was founded in 1996 following an agreement between the National Soccer League and the remnant ...

team

Moroka Swallows Moroka Swallows Football Club (often referred to as Swallows or The Birds) is a South African professional football club based in Soweto, Johannesburg, in the Gauteng province. Founded in 1947, Swallows are one of the original two Soweto clubs ...

before choosing to pursue a career in rugby union rather than football. A video which became a hit with the rugby and football public was released by the Stormers which displayed Catrakilis mixing his Football and Rugby skills.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catrakilis, Demetri 1989 births Living people Rugby union players from Johannesburg South African rugby union players Western Province (rugby union) players Stormers players University of Cape Town alumni Rugby union fly-halves South African people of Greek Cypriot descent Alumni of St John's College (Johannesburg) Montpellier Hérault Rugby players Harlequin F.C. players Southern Kings players 21st-century South African sportsmen South African expatriate sportspeople in Israel South African expatriate rugby union players in England South African expatriate rugby union players in France South African rugby union coaches Ikey Tigers players