In a country whose sporting scene is so profoundly dominated by one particular pastime involving 22 players and a round ball, it can be hard for others to get a look in sometimes. Even, it seems, if they are on top of the world and making history in the process.
A mea culpa: this space is as guilty as anyone in focusing on the eternal soap opera of top-flight football more than is likely healthy. So this week we will be leaving the likes of River Plate and Boca Juniors firmly in the shade and turn to Argentina's all-conquering rugby sevens team, who with almost zero fanfare have been reaching new heights over the past six months.
After five legs of the 2023-24 SVNS, which brings together rugby's top proponents of the reduced-scale variation of the sport, Argentina sit top of the table with 90 points, 20 clear of nearest rivals Ireland. Their record includes one second-placed finish followed by three consecutive victories, in the Cape Town, Perth and Vancouver tournaments, and with just two rounds left to play the team has an excellent chance of improving on the second place gained behind New Zealand in 2022-23.
Considering that prior to last year Argentina had only finished within the top four twice in more than two decades of SVNS participation, their emergence as one of the world's premier teams in the code, regularly matching and beating heavyweights like New Zealand and Fiji, is as startling as it is impressive. If that were not enough 2023 also saw the side crowned Pan American Games champions after romping to victory with five wins in five, the last of which coming in the gold medal match over hosts Chile.
The biggest challenge will come in Paris. Rugby sevens is an Olympic discipline and this July might just represent, along with football, Argentina's very best chance of coming home with at least one gold.
The sevens squad itself could probably take a stroll down Avenida Corrientes and barely attract attention. But it is filled with players who are making real names for themselves. Take Marcos Moneta. At 24, the back is already considered one of the game's most dangerous finishers and over the course of the season has racked up 30 tries at the rate of one a game. Nine of those came in Perth, the second of those back-to-back-to-back tournament wins, a record which earned the San Andrés native the distinction of Player of the Tournament.
April's Hong Kong Sevens, traditionally one of the most prestigious stops on the calendar, and later trips to Singapore and Spain now loom for Moneta, veteran captain Gastón Revol – who boasts more than 15 years and 400 games in his nation's service – and the rest of Argentina's stars. But the biggest challenge will come in Paris. Rugby sevens is an Olympic discipline and this July might just represent, along with football, Argentina's very best chance of coming home with at least one gold.
Revol for one is aiming for the stars. “The team is in great form and we can set ourselves ambitious targets,” the 37-year-old told Perfil when asked about Argentina's chances. “We know that the competition is very tough, sevens is brutal because you cannot get away with any mistakes or lapses in concentration. We are going for the podium and want to be as high up as possible.”
Argentina will probably remain under the national radar right up to Paris while all eyes remain permanently fixed on football. But if they do their country it will be impossible to deny them the recognition they so deserve, even if it proves fleeting until the latest Superclásico scandal breaks.
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