Andrew Durutalo could well be playing in his final sevens tournament as an Eagle this weekend in London. The 29-year-old loose forward has signed a contract with the Ealing Trailfinders of the Greene King IPA Championship for the 2017-18 season. Durutalo will make his return to professional 15-a-side rugby one year after leaving the Sunwolves in Super Rugby, where he was a regular in the starting lineup and one of their most consistent performers.
The dual international is set to play on his 36th HSBC Sevens Series stop this weekend having also won 15 caps for the Eagles since making his test debut against Canada in 2012. Born in New York to Fijian parents, Durutalo captain Fiji at age grade level before opting for the land of his birth. He was part of the 2015 World Cup side, starting three of the four matches.
Ealing have a rich history dating back to 1871 but are new to the professional ranks. They qualified for the Championship in 2013 but were immediately relegated to National One only to bounce straight back up the following season. This past season was their most successful to date, finishing in 3rd place on the table and narrowly losing out to Yorkshire Carnegie in the knock-out stages. Also among their signings for next season are former England Saxons flyhalf Rory Clegg and Scotland international Grayson Hart.