After an impressive professional rugby career that has spanned over a decade, the dynamic winger, Michael Killian, will be hanging up his boots to take on new challenges in the corporate sector.
EP Rugby CEO, Charl Crous, on Monday confirmed Killian’s retirement.
Sport24
“Michael has had a long and impressive rugby career, a large part of which he has spent with the Eastern Province. We are very sad to see him go but understand that there comes a time in every rugby player’s career where they have to make this decision.”
“Michael has been granted an exciting opportunity to enter into the corporate world in Nelson Mandela Bay and we wish him well with his new venture and this exciting new chapter in his life,” said Crous.
Killian, 30, said it had been a difficult decision to make, but he had been given a once in a lifetime opportunity that he simply could not pass up.
“It is never an easy decision to make but it really is a great opportunity for me,” he said.
Killian will be joining a national company that supplies industrial and residential air conditioning units as a director, and will be focusing on their Eastern Cape business operations, and will also be assisting with some of the bookkeeping aspects of the business.
“It’s great because I can put my degree, I studied B Com Accounts at NMMU, to good use now,” he said.
Killian is married to his wife Sarah and has a daughter, Mia, with a second child on the way.
He was born in Uitenhage, attended Muir College and is no stranger to the game of rugby.
He has played for Eastern Province since 2002, when he represented the Mighty Elephants in the Under-19 provincial competition.
He went on to play in the ABSA Under-21 B section the following year before making his professional debut for Eastern Province in 2004, representing the Mighty Elephants in the Vodacom Shield and Currie Cup First Division.
He was also part of the SA Students team from 2005 to 2007 and played in the Students Sevens World Cup in 2006.
Killian continued to play for EP through to 2007 before signing with the Golden Lions in 2008, where he played 58 matches for them and became a regular for the Lions Super Rugby franchise, playing 37 matches for them between 2008 and 2012.
On June 5, 2012, Killian announced that he would rejoin the Eastern Province Kings and, despite having broken his arm pre-season, ahead of the Southern Kings’ debut Super Rugby season, he went on to play four matches for the franchise.
Over his professional rugby career, Killian has scored 85 tries, six conversions, one penalty kick and one drop goal, totalling 443 points.