New Orleans Gold Rugby Club re-signed South African, Tristan Blewett for the 2020 Major League Rugby season. Blewett was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and grew up in Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal. He is 22 years old (23 in August), 5’10 1/2″ tall, and weighs 196 pounds.
Tristan was an electric player during 2019 for NOLA Gold and was recognized on the All-MLR 1st team. He was one of the MLR leading try scorers with 12 tries and had 8 try assists. He also made 131 tackles with a tackle completion percentage of 91. His line breaks made several highlight videos and he gained 1386.7 meters. With his three year extension, look for him to be a key contributor through 2023.
Blewett played rugby at Hilton College from 2012-2014, also playing on KwaZulu-Natal provincial teams. His provincial experience included playing in 2012 for the Under-16s at Grant Khomo Week in Johannesburg, for an Under-18s KwaZulu-Natal team that in 2013 hosted Academy week in Durban, and in 2014 for the Under-18s at Craven week in Middelburg.
After graduating from Hilton College, Blewett joined the Sharks Academy, KwaZulu-Natal’s professional rugby team. There he played for the Under-19s at the 2015 Provincial tournament. In 2016 he played for the University of KwaZulu-Natal in the Varsity Shield competition.
Following the Varsity Shield, he played professionally for the Sharks in the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series. He debuted on 23 April 2016, as a replacement in their 48–18 victory over Namibian side the Welwitschias and made a second appearance against the Golden Lions. The rest of the season he played for the Sharks Under-21s in the 2016 U21 Provincial Championship. At the end of October 2016, Blewett was included in the Sharks Super Rugby squad for the 2017 season.
In September 2018, Blewett moved to Port Elizabeth to play for the Southern Kings for the 2018-2019 PRO14 rugby season, starting against the Griffons. His time there was limited, as he then signed with New Orleans Gold Rugby Club for the 2019 season.
Blewett is a versatile back, preferring to play center, but has also played both wing and fullback.
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