JEDDAH: If international rugby players lived in hencoops, there would be much fluttering and neck pecking at the unexpected — and well deserved — win in the San Diego Rugby sevens this week for Argentina. They defeated the highly favoured England team 19-14 to lift the cup. It was only their second cup win in the history of the IRB Sevens World Series.
In the final Tom Biggs and Ben Gollings both scored first half tries for England.
The Pumas trailed 14-5 at the break, but took control with tries from Martin Rodrigues and Lucas Amorosino before their defense held England off for the final five minutes.
Argentina can now eye the World Cup in Dubai March 5-7 with considerably enhanced prospects of getting their hands on the Melrose Cup for the first time. The San Diego win was just the boost the team needed with less that three weeks the Dubai event when the world’s top 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams will battle it out in the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
“We really didn’t expect to win this tournament. It was very tough for us,” said a thrilled Argentina coach, Duncan Forrester, afterwards. “There are very tough teams here, better teams than us ... but we’ve done a lot of work.”
Foster recalled a conversation with Rugby Sevens legend Eric Rush. “He said he never liked playing against Argentina because they never give up ...They just go until the end, and that’s an important factor for Argentina,” added the coach.
Following on the very best traditions of ‘never saying never’ day one of the tournament in San Diego confected some interesting results when one of the emerging forces of the game, Kenya, went down to Uruguay. Resilient as ever, later in the day the Kenyans proved just why they are so highly regarded; they staged an incredible recovery to defeat last year’s Series winners, New Zealand. And against the best predictions, they lost later to the US 14-7.
The highly regarded South Africa team learned never to underestimate the opposition. They very nearly lost to the hosts USA but scraped a 15-14 win. However, the USA reached the semi-final stages and looks a formidable force with their play showing considerable increases in skill and precision.
England once more proved to be one of the teams to watch in Dubai. They won the Wellington Sevens the weekend before playing in San Diego and reached the final in the US, before going down 19-14 to Argentina.
England and South Africa now share the lead in the series with 60 points, eight clear of New Zealand on 52. Argentina is fourth on 48, ahead of Fiji (32), Kenya (24) and the United States (20). “Once again, the results over the weekend have shown that Rugby Sevens is a wonderfully unpredictable game,” said Gary Chapman, President Group Services and Dnata, Emirates Group.
Dubai will create history this year when 16 women’s teams take part in the tournament for the first time and according to England women’s coach, Simon Amor, there will be plenty to keep the crowds entertained. For those who have never seen women’s rugby played at international level, it is something of an eye opener. Less physical — marginally — than the men’s game, women’s rugby produces many textbook perfect manoeuvres and long phases of fast and incredibly athletic play. Miss it and it really is your loss. “I would like to think that the standard of the game will surprise people who have never seen women’s rugby before,” said coach Simon Amor. “What they will see is the best of all parts of rugby in a sevens form that will be entertaining.”
Amor should know; he captained the England Sevens and led them to four successive victories at the Hong Kong Sevens.
The women’s side has packed in a hectic training schedule over the past 12 months and competed in the Amsterdam Sevens, the Home Nations Cup, the European Sevens and the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens in November, all last season. “Our preparations over the whole season have been going really well.”
