Matteo Graziano hungry for more as Argentina chase SVNS double

The tattoo says Tutto Passa – Everything Passes. A reminder in Italian, his nonna’s tongue, that life can bring hardships but time helps.

“It is a phrase I use a lot and after what happened to us in the Olympic Games, I decided to put it on my arm.”

Matteo Graziano carries this tattoo on his massive arm, part of a massive body, that has shone, with his team, in a 2025 season in which the HSBC SVNS league title was again won. Los Angeles is yet another opportunity to take the Argentine team to another level.

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“The phrase is self-explanatory; basically, it is about being ready for everything to pass, not delve on the past and look to the future.”

Not returning home, in his case to Buenos Aires, and to his club, Los Matreros, with a medal from Paris 2024, still hurts. So much that the tattoo will be a constant reminder of what didn’t happen, when so much has happened to the 23-year-old.

Born in a rugby family – his father Esteban played many years for his club’s senior XV – his early memories are at the club, where his dream was to play at 3:30 on a Saturday afternoon, kick-off time for the First XV.

Always tall, he found his way to an Argentine U18 sevens team that would win gold at the Youth Oympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018, a side that contained names such as Marcos Moneta, the Saracens duo of Juan Martín González and Lucio Cinti, capped wing/fullback Ignacio Mendy, and others that have gone to play professional rugby or shine at local level.

“It was an incredible experience with a great team that has left a huge legacy for the game in Argentina. It gave me an idea of what rugby at a higher level was.”

A year younger than most teammates at the time, he remembers missing high school for three weeks, “as athletes in the Youth Olympic Games must stay in the Village for the duration of the Games. Unfortunately, rugby was played towards the end.”

Whilst he did play for Los Pumitas at XVs in a four-team tournament in South Africa, his age-grade career was affected by COVID and when he was no longer eligible, his time at the National Academy finished.

A few months later, he was invited to join a sevens camp.

He was told to drop 10 kilograms from his huge frame, making him quicker and more mobile in the process.

“During my first six months and I never got to travel and when I did for the first time was to Seville when a player, already in Spain, was diagnosed with COVID. I got there and eventually, he was fit to play!”

He eventually made his sevens debut in Dubai in 2021 and in Santiago Gomez Cora’s way of doing things, he was given few minutes during his early days.

“Experience is doing the same things many times,” he says in conversation with RugbyPass ahead of the season’s finale.

His first couple of seasons were about learning the trade with some of the best players in the business.

The last Rugby World Cup 7s in Cape Town in 2022 isn’t his best memory. Picked as travelling replacement, an infection went sour, with fevers of 41, spending the tournament’s weekend in hospital on morphine.

The bad memory lasted until Dubai that December. Since that tournament, he has been almost ever-present, even if it took him time to find a place in the starting team, cementing it in the last season.

“The process requires to get accustomed to how we play, getting more minutes and training hard. You need the opportunity but when I was new to the squad, I competed for time with players such as Tute (Osacdzuk), Rodri (Isgró), Lucho (González). For me to play, they had to play well below their standard and that didn’t happen.”

He doesn’t regret biding his time.

“It was a positive process when you enjoy your day to day, when the team is friendly and you are having fun. The hard part is when you feel you are ready and you don’t play. It is a mental barrier.”

When the opportunity came, Graziano was well prepared and took the opportunity with both hands.

Prior to arriving in Los Angeles were Los Pumas 7s will try to win the season’s double – HSBC SVNS Championship having won the league title in Singapore – he has played 125 games in 26 tournaments, scoring 32 tries.

“We are happy and motivated. We want to continue growing and the goal is still to the best version of each self.”

Hunger is not an issue him.

“I am far from having a full tummy. There are still things to achieve, goals, dreams and numbers to reach.”

Amongst them, whilst acknowledging that he is playing with two of the best in Moneta and González, recently acknowledged as nominees for Player of the Year, he would like to be included in the season’s Dream Team at some stage.

For this, he must continue to shine as he did this season, seldom putting a wrong foot, never flashy but always efficient.

Los Angeles is a big tournament for many reasons.

“We take it as another tournament and we prepared the same way as for the previous. Our aim, as in previous trips, is to win.”

Last season came to a conclusion in Madrid where Los Pumas 7s lost a painful final against France.

What if they don’t win in Los Angeles?

“We know we were the most consistent over the last couple of years. It won’t change.”

Given that everything passes, as he can remind himself everytime he looks at his tattoo, his goal is to have a better Olympic Game, in three years time at the same venue.

“I don’t have the best memories from Paris.”

If things go his and his team’s way, happy memories will be constructed from this weekend.

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Men’s pools for SVNS Series World Championship

Pool A: Argentina, South Africa, France, Great Britain

Pool B: Fiji, Spain, Australia, New Zealand

Women’s pools for SVNS Series World Championship

Pool A: New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Great Britain

Pool B: Australia, France, USA, Fiji