Nicolas De Battista: Cornish Pirates captain retires
- Published
Centre Nicolas De Battista scored 15 tries for Cornish Pirates during his time with the club
Cornish Pirates club captain Nicolas De Battista has announced his retirement from rugby union.
The Argentine, 31, has made 71 appearances for the Championship club across two spells in Cornwall.
Centre De Battista first signed for the Pirates in 2016 having previously played for Jockey Club de Rosario in his home country.
He joined Zebre in 2018 but returned to Cornwall for the 2019-20 season and was named captain in 2021.
However, injury limited him to only 18 appearances in the last three seasons and the club confirmed he was stepping down from full-time professional rugby.
"Nico is a great character also a great leader of men who when the going gets tough you can always count on. He is physical, leads by action and example, and it is just sad that he has been so blighted by injury," Cornish Pirates joint head coach Gavin Cattle said.
"When Nico plays, he is a proper warrior on the pitch and is also a great sportsman.
"He will be missed but goes with our blessing and everyone will want to wish him the very best for the future."