| Intro | English rugby union player |
| A.K.A. | Philip Derek Christophers |
| Is |
Athlete Rugby union player |
| From | United Kingdom |
| Type | Sports |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 16 June 1980, Heidelberg |
| Age: | 40 years |
| Star sign | Gemini |
Philip Derek Christophers (born 16 June 1980 in Heidelberg) was a rugby union footballer who played on the wing for Castres and, briefly, England.
Christophers was born and raised in Germany with an English father and a German mother. At 16 he moved to England to attend the sixth form at Lancaster Royal Grammar School, where he represented England at under-16 and under-18 level. He studied Geography at Loughborough University, for whom he played in a BUSA final. In 2000, he took a year out of his studies playing for Brive and represented England under-21s. On graduation, in 2001, he signed full-time with Bristol Rugby.
During the 2002/03 season Christophers was a regular for Bristol and a bit-part player for England. However, when Bristol were relegated at end of that season, he signed for Leeds Tykes.
Christophers scored a try on his England debut against Argentina.
During the 2003/04 season at Leeds, he was named both the Players Player of the Year and Supporters Player of the Year. He toured New Zealand and Australia with England, but did not play.
At the end of the 2004-05 season Leeds won the Powergen Cup where he was a starter.
At the end of the 2004/05 season he decided to join Castres Olympiques in the Top 14 in France. He played for Castres from 2005-10. Without a club from July 2010 until the end of June 2011, he played two years for Aix en Provence in the Pro D2 before ending his professional career in the summer of 2013.
Honours
Runner-up versus Gloucester in the 2002 Premiership Final
Grand Slam 2003
-
Powergen Cup/Anglo-Welsh Cup titles: 1
- 2005