Argentine men and women target Olympics

Argentina’s national men’s and women’s senior sevens squads have been confirmed for the upcoming Olympic Games qualifying series in Santa Fé. In what is to be the most important weekend of the year for Rugby Sevens in South America Argentina’s men’s and women’s teams will be seeking to secure their places at the global event in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Taking place at the CRAI club in Santa Fé seven men’s and eight women’s international teams are to compete for places in the 2016 Olympic Games. The tournament will be played from Friday June 5 to Sunday June 7 and will see all competitors playing against one another with the top side qualifying and the second and third placed teams will enter a global repecharge qualifying series together with countries from other continental regions.

To date Fiji, South Africa, New Zealand, Great Britain (exclusively England in Rugby Sevens) have all qualified in the men’s division as have the host nation of Brazil.  Current women’s qualifiers include New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Great Britain (England) and hosts Brazil.

In order to secure qualification the men’s and women’s teams from Argentina will be targeting a first place finish in Santa Fé. The men’s team squad selected includes regular Rugby Sevens players in addition to Javier Ortega Desio and Jerónimo De le Fuente who have signed Super Rugby contracts with the UAR.

ARGENTINA MEN
Fernando Luna (Córdoba Athletic), Javier Ortega Desio (UAR), Axel Müller (Marista), Germán Schulz (Tala), Segundo Tuculet (Los Tilos), Nicolás Bruzzone (Universitario), Gastón Revol (La Tablada), Javier Rojas (Universitario), Rodrigo Etchart (SIC), Jerónimo de la Fuente (UAR), Santiago Cordero (Regatas), Franco Sábato (Alumni)

ARGENTINA WOMEN
Letizia Alcaraz (San Patricio), María Eugenia Botelli (Argentino de Bahía Blanca), Silvana Castro (Cardenales), Rita Cazorla (Cardenales), Magali Fazzi (La Plata RC), Patricia Fusco (GEI), Sofía González (SITAS), Mayra Genghini (Marabunta), Valeria Montero (La Plata RC), Yamila Otero (Centro Naval), Josefina Padellaro (Catriel RC), Luciana Travesi (Cardenales)