Austin Gilgronis signed team captain Zinzan Elan-Puttick to a two-year extension through the 2022 Major League Rugby season. It is his birthday today and he is 27-years-old, 5’11” and 195 lbs.
Zinzan has been a key member of the team since the inaugural 2018 season.
During the 2019 season, he played 1014 minutes in 13 matches and scored 6 points. He had 5 linebreaks, 11 tackle breaks, and 10 offloads. He kicked 15 times for 505 meters, made 101 tackles, and had 105 carries for 929 meters. During 2020 he played in four of the five matches.
Elan-Puttick was born in Hartswater, South Africa, and moved to Bloemfontein in 2004, where he attended Grey College.
According to Pat Clifton of Rugby Today, he moved to Dalhart, Texas, a suburb of Amarillo, at age 16. He played football in high school and In 2011-2012 he attended West Texas A&M University where he played football.
Elan-Puttick then transferred to Arkansas State to play rugby from 2012-2106, missing the 2014/15 season with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
The Red Wolves were the USA Rugby Collegiate National Sevens Champions during 2012 and 2013. In 2012, Zinzan was honored as a member of the All-Tournament team. In 2013 and 2014 he was honored as a USA Rugby Collegiate Sevens All-American. In 2015-2016, he was also selected by USA Rugby as a first-team Collegiate Sevens All-American and was an honorable mention for rugby 15s.
This Is American Rugby lists him in a Pool C preview of the 2013 USA Rugby National Club Sevens Championship, playing for WE Rugby, formerly Woodland Exiles in the 2013 USA Rugby National Club Sevens Championships. Ultimate Rugby Sevens, indicated that at the Rugbytown 7s in 2013, he played for the USA Collegiate All-Americans, scoring a try and adding a conversion in beating the Glendale Raptors 31-12 in the Final.
After the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship of 2016, Robert Zinzan Elan-Puttick was selected as a member of the 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) Dream Team by the Evan Lappen of Rugby Today.
Shaun Potgieter, Rugby Head Coach for Arkansas State, said to A-State News that “Zinzan has been a pleasure to have as a teammate and to coach. He had an outstanding senior year on the pitch and led by example as a captain of the team. I am extremely proud of his accomplishments while at A-State. There are some big shoes to fill for the next player taking over Zinzan’s role. I wish him the best moving forward and hope to see him in the red, white, and blue jersey in the near future.”
After finishing his collegiate rugby career, he then played with the Glendale Raptors Club Sevens team in 2016.
During 2017 Zinzan played for the Austin Huns Rugby at fullback and contributed toward the team’s USA Rugby Division I Club National Championship.
