Argentina are through to the semi-finals at HSBC SVNS New York after claiming a dominant Pool B win over Fiji and a remarkable comeback against Spain. Sebastian Dubuc scored the last-gasp match-winner, with Argentina running in four unanswered tries in the 27-26 triumph.
Los Pumas Sevens are the two-time defending League Winners on the SVNS Series but they’re yet to take out an event this season. New Zealand and Fiji have both claimed one trophy each, while South Africa have emerged victorious in three Cup Finals.
Fiji and South Africa are locked in a two-horse race for the men’s SVNS Series regular season crown, but other teams still have plenty to play for as well. With the World Championships starting next month, winning in New York would come as a big confidence booster.
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Marcos Moneta and Santino Zangara both recorded doubles in Argentina’s 19-point win over the Fijians to start the weekend, leaving them in a strong position to make the semi-finals. But with only two teams progressing out of each pool, every match matters on the sevens circuit.
Spain qualified for the Cup Final at last weekend’s competition in Vancouver, which was their best result so far this season. The Spaniards started their campaign in New York with a win, making this second-round fixture incredibly interesting.
Tiago Romero claimed a double, while Eduardo Lopez and Pol Pla also got on the scoresheet for Spain, who appeared to be on track for another semi-final appearance. But Argentina refused to throw in the towel, rallying from a 26-7 halftime deficit.
Santiago Vera Feld, Matteo Graziano and Juan Patricio Batac scored Argentina’s first three tries of the second half, which set up a grandstand finish at Sports Illustrated Stadium. In the final play of the match, Moneta set up Dubuc for a match-winning break near the right touchline.
Argentina went on to lose their final Pool B match 19-14 to Great Britain, meaning that comeback against Spain was a difference-maker in the end. Los Pumas Sevens will face SVNS 1 title contenders the Blitzboks for a spot in the Cup Final on Sunday.
South Africa started their tournament with a 22-7 victory against New Zealand, before overcoming France in the second round of pool fixtures. While the SVNS powerhouse were beaten by Australia 19-12 late on day one, they had still done enough to qualify for the final four.
Australia will take a wealth of confidence into the semi-finals, having gone through pool play with an unbeaten 3-0 record out of a tough group. The men in gold kicked things off with a promising performance against France, before beating rivals New Zealand and South Africa.
“We spoke a lot about consistency during the week, especially backing up in that second week here in New York,” Australia’s Jayden Blake said.
“A lot of our games go down to the wire, it’s good to get the wins but we’ve got a job to do tomorrow against Fiji.
“Discipline was a big one for us last week so keep playing the footy we’re playing but tidy up on the discipline.”