SINGAPORE – As British band Queen’s celebratory rock classic We Are The Champions blared through the speakers of the National Stadium, Argentinian rugby sevens stalwart Gaston Revol was on his knees and euphoric.
Some of his teammates gathered in an emotional embrace around him, while others were sprawled out on the turf as they took in what they had achieved on May 5.
The Los Pumas Sevens had made history as they were crowned the men’s SVNS league winners for the first time in its 25th edition.
Argentina rallied from a 10-0 deficit to beat South Africa 14-10 in the fifth-place play-off, securing the crucial points to finish top of the leaderboard. They racked up 106 points from seven tournaments, two points ahead of Ireland, who lost 17-14 to New Zealand in the final.
The HSBC SVNS is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby and Argentina have been a core team since the event’s debut in the 1999-2000 season.
Second place in 2022-23 was the closest they had come to winning the overall title.
Los Pumas Sevens had been the standout men’s side this season, winning three tournaments in Cape Town, Perth and Vancouver, but their form had dipped coming into Singapore. On May 4, they lost 21-5 to Ireland in the quarter-finals.
But their fifth placing at the National Stadium was enough to spark celebrations that will go on long into the night.
Reflecting on their path, Revol, who is in his swansong season, said: “There have been so many moments, good and bad... We kept on trying, kept on training, kept on believing in this team and I think we have the prize that we deserve.
“It’s incredible to be here at this moment... I’m 37 years old and I’m still here with these guys, these great players. They are the ones that made the major difference on the field.”
Having sealed their maiden SVNS title in not the most convincing way, Revol said they will work on their mistakes and get to the July 26-Aug 11 Paris Olympics in their best shape.
Down 10-0, Argentina first got back into the tie through Agustin Fraga’s 11th-minute try before Tobias Wade scored a last-minute winner just under the posts.
That comeback victory was among the world-class rugby action witnessed by legions of fans over the three days of competition.
World Rugby said on May 5 that while official attendance figures are not available yet, there is a “significant increase” from the 2023 event, which attracted 40,000 people over two days.
Fans had come dressed in their favourite teams’ colours, with the All Blacks’ top a common sight. As was the case with the rugby festival each year, some sported eye-catching costumes such as a banana or a mug of beer.
They all lapped up the action and joined in the fun with their vocals too, belting out classics like Sweet Caroline and Livin’ On A Prayer in unison just before the men’s and women’s finals, which were both claimed by crowd favourites New Zealand.
The All Blacks Sevens edged out Ireland to retain their Singapore title, while the New Zealand women’s team recorded a resounding 31-21 victory over Australia, which also meant that the reigning Olympic champions beat Australia to the league title by two points.
Michaela Blyde, who scored a hat-trick, said her team’s triumph “means a lot”, adding: “The beginning of the season was a little bit rocky for us, so we didn’t want to think too far ahead for this tournament but Singapore has just brought incredible vibes and to come away with the Singapore title and the league winners is really special.”
The top eight teams from the series will head to the May 31-June 2 inaugural grand final in Madrid, where the HSBC SVNS 2024 champions will be crowned.
