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Five member of Argentina’s Olympic 7s team will return for Los Pumas ahead of the 2016-17 HSBC Sevens Series. Santiago Gómez Cora has named Santiago Álvarez, Fernando Luna, Franco Sábato, Germán Schulz, and captain Gastón Revol in his group of 14 players to attend a week-long training camp starting October 24 in Tucumán. The team will then take part in the Bicentenario Sevens at the Natación y Gimnasia club on October 28 and 29.
Other returning veterans from the 2015-16 season include Renzo Barbier, Nicolás Menéndez, Ramiro Finco, and Segundo Tuculet. New to the team are four members of the Pumitas side that finished third in the 2016 World Rugby u20 Championship tournament – halfbacks Lautaro Bazán and Domingo Miotti, and outside backs José Barros Sosa and Matías Osadczuk. Huirapuca winger Lucas Bellotto is included in a senior Pumas group for the first time having been part of the 2013 u20 Pumitas squad.
Five of the team make an immediate return after winning the Americas Pacific Challenge with the Argentina XV last weekend. Álvarez, Luna, Menéndez, Miotti, and Tuculet all took part in the tournament in Montevideo but will now switch their focus back to the seven-a-side game with an eye towards the 2018 Sevens World Cup in San Francisco.
In addition to the core group, two players have been invited to train with the team during the week – Matías Ferro of Tucuman Lawn Tennis and another Huirapuca speedster, Isaac Sprenger. Both have been part of Argentine age-grade representative sides.
LOS PUMAS 7s
Santiago Álvarez (CASI), Renzo Barbier (San Luis), José Barros Sosa (Tucumán Lawn Tennis), Lautaro Bazán (Córdoba Athletic), Lucas Bellotto (Huirapuca), Ramiro Finco (Curupaytí), Fernando Luna (Córdoba Athletic), Nicolás Menéndez (Lomas Athletic), Domingo Miotti (Tucumán Lawn Tennis), Matías Osadczuk (SITAS), Gastón Revol (La Tablada), Franco Sábato (Alumni), Germán Schulz (Tala), Segundo Tuculet (Los Tilos)
