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Argentina rebounded from a poor showing in Hamilton to lift the Challenge Trophy at the Sydney top of the HSBC Sevens Series. While the Trophy is reserve for teams that do not qualify for the Cup Quarter Finals, the Pumas can in fact lay claim to having one of the best records in the tournament having won five of six matches.
Having been drawn in the highly competitive Pool D, Argentina opened their tournament on a winning note with a 29-14 win over Australia. The score included a rare penalty goal from captain Gaston Revol. They were defeated by South Africa but had no trouble with Tonga in their final pool match. Unfortunately for them South Africa were then beaten by Australia, leaving three teams tied on two wins and the Pumas were the ones to miss out on points differential.
The team put their frustrations aside and six players touched down in a dominant win over Samoa to start their second day. Canada proved a closer challenge in the Trophy Semi Final but two tries from Fernando Luna contributed to a 24-19 win. They would then meet a confident Japan team in the Trophy Final. Again it was Luna the hero, scoring in the 11th minute to seal the win and with it the maximum available points from the Trophy draw.
It’s their second Challenge Trophy victory of the season, the first coming in Cape Town. They reached the Cup Quarter Finals in Dubai but the top eight has eluded them since. At 9th overall on the standings they now trail Spain by one point and 7th-place Scotland by three.
