In the first session of the Seven of the Seven in London, the Pumas 7s did not spring surprises and showed they were better than Ireland, the opponents they beat in their last Group B match on Saturday. The Argentina national team, which won 28–14, possessed possession rugby, had the patience to build, and had the necessary experience to manage the moments of the match. “What’s important for the team is what we try and how we build the matches. The start gives us a lot of balls to keep possession and try to score”, he explained. marcos moneta in the official broadcast.
Ryo did not score any of the winning tries and moved away from Wa Apeleu Maliko in the Trymann rankings. Samoan collects 10 on the weekend and 49 on the season, four up from Moneta’s 45. “I try not to look at the TriMans table too much. I know he watches it because all his teammates want him to try it. I am not worried about it. I want the team to do well, we have already qualified for the Olympic Games and we want medals.” San Andres Wing added.
Pumas 7 continue to grow and are already thinking about Samoa – credit: @Gaspafotos
If there’s one thing to highlight about the quarterfinals in London, it’s how the Pumas are looking to grow their base of 7 players. Apart from Moneta, neither Luciano González nor Rodrigo Isgro scored tries, the three main men in the absence of Matias Osadzuk due to injury. The match started with Jermaine Schulz taking the ball from outside a ruck 40 meters from goal and went in with determination to open the score. Three minutes later, it was the turn of Agustín Fraga, one of the best performances since the Tokyo Olympics. The player trained at Buenos Aires City and CUBA, started as a wing, was billed twice and has 28 on the season. Although he is less visible from the start, he has an important role to play on a physical and athletic level.
Beyond the waivers of Brian Mollen and Dylan O’Grady, The Pumas 7s never let down, they dominated the process and the result. Matteo Graziano, another youngster gaining prominence, broke through the defense and the game was over. Santiago Vera Felde (3) and Luciano Gonzalez contributed to take the final lead.
The opponent in the quarter-finals will be Samoa, an old acquaintance. This season saw the Islanders knock out Argentina in the quarterfinals in Hong Kong and Cape Town. But the streak was broken with a 19–12 victory in the quarterfinals in Los Angeles, led by Santiago Gomez Cora. Then, they won 26–19 in the group stage of the second tournament in Hong Kong, and in Singapore they again won 24–19 over the Albiseleste in the semi-finals.
The final leg of the season in London will open a new chapter against one of the most physical rivals on the circuit, with the incentive to fight for a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. They needed to deduct points from Australia, who fell to Fiji. The Pumas are in their 6th Finals 7 appearance and will look to complete a historic season.
