Austin Gilgronis Michael de Waal returning for the final year of his three-year Major League Rugby contract for 2022. The 25-year-old flanker is 6’3″ and 230 lbs.
Michael played 841 minutes in 14 matches, starting 11, for the Gilgronis in 2021. He was expected to make his professional debut with the team in 2020, but injury rehabilitation and season cancellation postponed his debut to 2021.
Michael is from Cape Town, South Africa, and attended Pretoria Boys High School. He played rugby and also played with the Blue Bulls Noord Vaaal Under-18s.
He has attended Lindenwood University since 2017 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics with an emphasis in Actuarial Science in December 2019.
While at Lindenwood the team was been undefeated in rugby sevens his last three years while at the university. Michael was a two-time Collegiate All-American and two-time Collegiate Rugby Championship winner in 2018 and 2019. The team won three consecutive USA Rugby National College Sevens titles, and also advanced to the USA D1A Rugby XVs Final Four. He also played for the USA Collegiate All-Americans against Canada in their 23-22 win in July 2019 before the Senior teams faced each other in a test match.
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