The Pumas 7s appeared in all their splendor. In a complex semifinal against one of the powers on the circuit, they gave Fiji no chance, they were dominant for the 14 minutes and will be in the definition for the title, a week after finishing last in Dubai. Starting at 11:43 they will face South Africa, the local team.
The hug of brotherhood between Marcos Moneta and Luciano González Rizzoni in the run-up to the semi-final was a premonition and they once again merged in a hug after the conquest of the Riojan, after an established play, from the laboratory: a scrum 40 meters from the ingoal, a wide front to attack with Moneta and González Rizzoni, who, with spaces, make an enormous difference.
That try was the knock-out blow for the Pumas 7s: they stretched the lead to 22-0 with four minutes remaining. Argentina had just received a yellow card for González Rizzoni, but maintained order and temperance to defend. They did not despair and did not concede points during the period of numerical superiority.
Those led by Santiago Gómez Cora began to impose themselves from the first play at the Cape Town Stadium, with a stack from González Rizzoni, who came out playing near his own goal and traveled 70 meters in what would end in Santiago Mare’s try. Firm in obtaining the exits, the Pumas 7s managed to control the ball at the pace of Mare, a fundamental piece in the team’s gear and in the generation of the game. Accompanied in the leadership by Pedro De Haro, the debutant at this stage, and in the second half by Eliseo Morales, they expertly managed the different moments of the match.
With the lead, they slowed down the game and Fiji never had a chance to turn it around. Given each infraction by an extremely undisciplined rival due to offsides, they called for a scrum to restart the game.. The score of 29-21 ended up being a lie and with a slim margin due to the way the game went.
Santiago Álvarez Fourcade scored two tries in the first half. His experience and his voice of command are also invaluable aspects in this moment of transition for the Pumas 7swith several players who are making their first weapons and are beginning to know the rugby and mental ups and downs of the elite. A week ago they lost four of their five games and finished last in the United Arab Emirates. Seven days later they are in a final, the fourth since the South African venue was changed in 2015 and was held in Cape Town; In 2015 they lost the final just like in 2018, while in 2023 they became champions, after a crushing final against Australia 45-12.
Starting at 11:43 they will face South Africa, which left France behind in a tight semi-final until the last ball.. With a noisy and Blitzbok-loving crowd, they will have the advantage of home field and will seek to retain the title they obtained in 2024. The last precedent in a definition against South Africa was in Vancouver 2025, with an Argentine victory by 19-12.
Valentín Maldonado said after the game: “It was about respecting the game plan, working with humility and we got it through. We are doing very well, in the final it is about not going off the script and we hope that things go well for us.”
The final will be the duel between the last winner of the series and the champion of the season. In a new year, that background doesn’t count. With several current players from the old guard, but with many new ones who will sing the anthem for the first time before a final, This Pumas 7s team will seek to write its own history.
