Duarttee, Blitzboks make peace
Ricardo Duarttee has held successful talks over his reintegration with the Blitzboks after falling out with the coaching staff earlier this year.
Ricardo Duarttee has held successful talks over his reintegration with the Blitzboks after falling out with the coaching staff earlier this year.
Watching from the sidelines wasn’t easy for Dewald Human, but the fit-again Blitzbok playmaker is ready to help and make a difference to the Springbok Sevens’ fortunes in Hong Kong this weekend.
Ricardo Duarttee’s sevens career is hanging in the balance after the Blitzboks star reportedly stood himself down from duty during the Vancouver Sevens.
Springbok Sevens head coach Sandile Ngcobo has shared his frustration with the Blitzboks’ performances in North America after an 11th-place finish at the Los Angeles Sevens.
The Blitzboks beat Canada on Sunday night to avoid finishing in 12th place at the Los Angeles Sevens, but suffered another setback in their Series title hopes.
Argentina strengthened their grip on the Sevens Series by beating New Zealand in the Canada Sevens final, while the Blitzboks finished strongly to claim ninth place in Vancouver.
Antoine Dupont wasted little time in getting up and running in his first Sevens Series tournament, scoring twice to take France to the semi-finals in Vancouver.
Sandile Ngcobo was happy with how the Blitzboks bounced back to secure fifth place at the Perth Sevens, but said the quarter-final loss to Fiji shows there is plenty to work on before the next tournament in Vancouver.
A salvaged fifth-place finish in Perth kept the Blitzboks in the top four of the Sevens Series, while back-to-back titles have boosted Argentina’s place on top of the standings.
The breakout star from a difficult 2023 season for the Blitzboks, Ricardo Duarttee is eager to make his first appearance of the 2024 season a memorable one in Perth this weekend.