Greg Peterson (born 26 March 1991) is a retired Australian-born American rugby union player who played lock. During his club career Peterson played professionally in Australia, Europe, and the United States. Peterson played for the United States national rugby union team from 2014 to 2024, including at the 2025 and 2019 Rugby World Cups.
| Birth name | Gregory H. Peterson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 26 March 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 124 kg (273 lb; 19 st 7 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | The Scots College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Club career
editPeterson started with Manly in Australia. Peterson was named in the Waratahs squad ahead of the 2012 Super Rugby season.[2] In 2014, Peterson was appointed as captain of the North Harbour Rays for the teams' opening game in the inaugural season of Australia's National Rugby Championship.[3]
Following his season with the Rays, Peterson earned a trial with Leicester Tigers and eventually signed a contract that would keep him there until the end of the 2014–15 season, but he made only a few appearances for Leicester.[4]
Peterson signed a two-year contract with Glasgow Warriors in the Pro12 starting in the 2015–16 season.[5] He is Glasgow Warrior No. 255. While in Scotland he played for Glasgow Hawks when not in use by the Glasgow Warriors.[6] Peterson was drafted to Marr in the Scottish Premiership for the 2017–18 season.[7]
Peterson was drafted to Currie in the Scottish Premiership for the 2018–19 season.[8]
Peterson joined the Union Bordeaux Bègles in France on 28 December 2018, as a replacement for the injured Jandré Marais.[9]
On 19 March 2019, Peterson returned to England to join with Newcastle Falcons in the Premiership Rugby on a two-year deal from the 2019-20 season.[10] Peterson left Newcastle after the 2022-23 season. [11]
He started the 2023-24 season with a short term contract with the Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship. He played the first 9 rounds of the URC and also played against Bayonne in a European Champions Cup match.
In 2024 he signed for the San Diego Legion in the MLR. In December 2024 Peterson announced his retirement from professional rugby.[12]
International career
editPeterson represented Australia under 20 in the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship.[13]
Though born in Australia, Peterson qualified to play for the United States national team by virtue of his American grandfather.[14] Peterson was named in the Eagles 35-man roster for their 2014 end-of-year tests against New Zealand, Romania, Tonga and Fiji.[15] He made his debut against Romania on 8 November 2014, coming off the bench at the 62nd minute. Peterson played for the U.S. at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
International tries
edit- As of 20 November 2021 [16]
| Try | Opposing team | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Canada
|
Ottawa, Canada | Twin Elm Rugby Park | 2015 Rugby World Cup warm-up matches | 22 August 2015 | Win | 23 – 41 |
Family
editPeterson's grandfather played rugby for the U.S. national team, and his father played American football at Northwestern University in Chicago.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Gregory PETERSON". Its Rugby. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ Rugby News Archived 1 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Superxv.com.
- ^ "Peterson locked in to lead Rays" (Press release). Rays Rugby. 20 August 2014. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "Peterson signs with Leicester". This is American Rugby. Archived from the original on 25 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ "Greg Peterson Signs With Glasgow". Retrieved 28 April 2015.
- ^ "Peterson set to return – Glasgow Warriors". www.glasgowwarriors.org.
- ^ "Glasgow Warriors – Pro-player draft". www.glasgowwarriors.com.
- ^ "Tennent's Premiership clubs decide pro-player draft – Scottish Rugby Union". www.scottishrugby.org. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "Bordeaux-Bègles: le 2e ligne australo-américain Peterson comme joker médical". France 24 (in French). 28 December 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
- ^ "Greg Peterson signs for Newcastle Falcons". Americas Rugby News. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
- ^ "Newcastle Falcons: Gary Graham & Micky Young among 15 players departing". BBC. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ "Men's Eagles Captain Greg Peterson ready for next chapter with retirement from professional rugby". Eagles Rugby. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
- ^ Under 20s squad announcement Archived 19 July 2012 at archive.today. ARU. 2011.
- ^ a b Curtis. "Waratah Greg Peterson Emerges As Another U.S.-Eligible".
- ^ "Eagles selected for November Tour". USA Rugby.
- ^ "Greg Peterson". 20 November 2021.