Ricardo Duarttee, a sevens standout, has joined Zastava, a Russian team, raising further questions about the playmaker’s future with the Blitzboks.
According to a brief statement on the club’s website, the 26-year-old has joined forces with Zastava, who are coached by former Blitzbok Vuyo Zangqa, for the Russian Rugby 7 Championship’s third and fourth rounds.
We welcome Ricardo and look forward to playing together,” the statement said at the end.
The Stellenbosch Academy of Sport student, who had previously sold his automobile to cover the cost of his enrollment, announced his relocation on social media.
According to a media statement from SA Rugby, Duarttee was removed from the SA Sevens squad following the Vancouver Sevens in February for personal reasons. He was named the Springbok Men’s Sevens Player of the Year last week.
But according to a Netwerk24 story, Duarttee was unhappy that he was primarily utilized off the bench in Canada and lost interest in his position on the Blitzboks club. Over the course of that weekend, he allegedly informed coaches that he was no longer available to participate.
In 2022, Duarttee made his debut in the Dubai Sevens and went on to win the 2022–2023 World Rugby Sevens Series Rookie of the Year.
Despite being left out of the starting lineup for the first two tournaments of the current season in Dubai and Cape Town, he was added back to the team for the Perth Sevens in January. His national contract is set to expire at the end of 2024.
