A year ago, it was a case of the latter for Springbok Sevens playmaker Ricardo Duarttee when he arrived in Mauritius to play for the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ team, the same side he will represent at the Rugby Africa Sevens this weekend.

Last year, Duarttee was playing professional club sevens in England when he was recalled after he was released from national duty a couple of months earlier in what now is a well-known chapter in the colourful player’s book on “Life in Rugby”.

Duarttee gave his first steps back into the national set-up at the same venue in 2024 after receiving the call he was hoping for from Blitzbok coach Philip Snyman.

The rest is history, as Duarttee went on to play in all seven HSBC SVNS tournaments for the Blitzboks in the 2025 season, including the grand finale in Los Angeles, where South Africa claimed World Championship glory, with Duarttee scoring a try in the final against Spain.

“Yes, Mauritius will always have a special place in my heart because that is where I got my second chance as a Blitzbok player,” Duarttee said from Port Louis, where the ‘A’ side completed a training session against the Mauritian national team earlier on Wednesday.

“I was in England, playing sevens on the club circuit there when the call came. I waited for that call and I was ready for the comeback into the squad.

“The SA Sevens ‘A’ side had a good tournament here, and although we came up short against Uganda, a lot of positive things happened in that I was accepted back into the team.

“That was huge for me and looking back at the season we just had, one of the best things that could ever happen to me. For that, I will always think of Mauritius in the nicest way possible.”

Duarttee had a friendly warning for his teammates who are here for the first time and playing against some lesser-known African countries: “This is a tough tournament, those guys are hard, and you better be prepared. They are coming for us,” he said with a broad smile.

“You will earn your spurs here, no doubt. There are some very talented individuals here assembled by coach Philip and I think we will give a good account of ourselves.”

The tournament will be screened live on SuperSport (Channel 951) from Saturday.

Springbok Sevens ‘A’ pool fixtures – Saturday 21 June (SA times):
08h06: Nigeria
10h50: Zambia
13h34: Burkina Faso

Good memories of a tough tournament in a beautiful setting for Duarttee

Mauritius is more known as a holiday destination than a rugby hub and more for winding down than finding redemption on a rectangular patch of grass.