Patrick Pellegrini was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. He is of Tongan descent through his mother and Australian European with some Italian ancestry through his father.

Pellegrini is a menace on attack with an incredible rugby IQ. He has excellent kicking skills and is able to stay calm under pressure while creating opportunities for his teammates. His ability to read the defence well and adapt to any situation made him one of the heroes of Moana Pasifika’s 2025 campaign.

He started off playing both rugby league and rugby union when he was younger but opted to focus on union when he was 14. Pellegrini grew up watching and admiring All Black legend Dan Carter.

He played club rugby for Sydney’s West Harbour in the Shute Shield, Randwick in Sydney’s premier grade rugby union competition and for the New South Wales Under 20s and schoolboys side. From 2020-2022 Pellegrini lived in England, playing for Sevenoaks in England’s fifth tier of club rugby. He then moved to Coventry Rugby for two seasons.

While playing for Coventry in the 2022/23 season, Pellegrini scored nine tries in eighteen games and recorded a total of 153 points. He then finished the 2023/24 campaign as the top points scorer in the Championship and helped Coventry beat Premiership team, Saracens in the 2023/24 Premiership Rugby Cup.

Pellegrini also received the Coventry Rugby Supporters’ Club Player of the Year Award and was named in the Championship team of the season. His impressive play in Coventry caught the eye of Tongan selectors. Pellegrini represented the ‘Ikale Tahi at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

In August 2024, Pellegrini signed with Moana Pasifika and made his Super Rugby Pacific debut off the bench in Round Three against the Highlanders.

He had a standout campaign as one of Moana’s top performers. He was named Super Rugby Pacific player of the week in Round Seven following Moana Pasifika’s historic win over the Crusaders in which he helped orchestrate. It all started when Pellegrini hoisted a 50:22 kick which was the beginning of momentum swinging Moana’s way. He also scored a try and made six from six conversion kicks. He made a name for himself and put the competition on notice.

Pellegrini made his NPC debut for North Harbour in their 2025 season opener against Manawatū and also starred for Tonga in the Pacific Nations Cup in the same year. He scored a hat-trick and added ten points with his boot as Tonga defeated Canada to secure third place in the Pacific Nations Cup, their best finish in the tournament since 2018.

Moana Pasifika debut: 2025 v Highlanders