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After just one season with Zebre in the Guinness Pro 14, Nicolás De Battista will depart Italy and return to the Cornish Pirates in the RFU Championship on a two-year deal. The former Pumitas captain traded Penzance for Parma at the end of last season but will not take up the second year option.
De Battista spent two seasons with the Pirates previously, signing from Jockey Club in his native Rosario in July 2016. He would make more than 50 appearances across all competitions, captaining the team in his second season and earning Player of the Year honors in his first year with the club.
The move to Zebre has not gone as planned for the midfielder. He managed only a half-dozen games with Italian internationals Tommaso Castello, Giulio Bisegni, and Tommaso Boni getting the lions share of the playing time. Rather than spend another year as a practice player De Battista will instead become a key figure for the Pirates once more.
In an ironic twist of fate, his arrival in Cornwall could spell the end for another Argentine at the club. Pumas Sevens Olympian Javier Rojas was signed as a direct replacement for De Battista on a one year deal but despite playing a dozen matches now looks unlikely to be retained.
