Santiago Alvarez reflects on Argentina’s historic SVNS triumph in Hong Kong

When you have travelled as much as Pumas 7s veteran Santiago Álvarez Fourcade, it is understandable not to be sure how many times you’ve been to Hong Kong.

“I started going there in 2013, 2014. I missed a couple so maybe ten times, eleven times?” he opens with RugbyPass.

What is clear is that the last tournament was his best.

Finally, a hoodoo was broken and Argentina won the tournament. Los Pumas have been going to the former colony since 1981, when World Rugby Hall of Famer Hugo Porta was the captain of a side that reached the quarterfinals.

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The long trip, the food, the pressure of not being able to perform and the weight of being unsuccessful was a burden that has now been lifted forever.

“Winning Hong Kong was incredible for us. It is a stop that we’ve always struggled and it was something that we’ve been talking for years, trying to work out a way to achieve our best performances there.

“Having won the way we did made it even better,” the former captain says proudly.

He doesn’t mention that maybe not playing anymore at the old Hong Kong Stadium also broke the long run of no champagne celebrations.

“Knowing that we won, I’ll say that moving to the Kai Tak Stadium changed everything, but I can say that it added a lot to the tournament, adding a spice that was missing in Hong Kong. The old stadium was an historic place, but it was old and with bad weather you felt it. The move was great. I and the team loved the new stadium!”

This season, Los Pumas 7s had an experienced squad and management, with many trips to Hong Kong, which allowed them to work as a unit on how to best work around probably the hardest and furthest away tournament for Argentina.

“We don’t have anyone working with our mental side, but we are on constant alert as to not relax, working every day to be a bit better. We all know that on any given day, anyone can beat anyone, so we go out knowing that we have to work hard in every game.”

The pride is huge for a team that stays humble, focused and hungry. Álvarez Fourcade says that this current success is a construction of everyone that played or was in the management before the current team that has been the top team in the past two seasons, even if they failed to win the Series having won the league last year and returned from Paris without the cherished Olympic Medal.

“Last year we started strongly and then dropped our standards; this year it is the other way round. We’ve grown day to day and we have a great on-field connection that allows us to be very confident going into Singapore and ahead, for Los Angeles,” says Álvarez Fourcade.

Los Pumas 7s only need to finish sixth in Singapore, a cut-throat tournament that will have four pools of three teams, requiring teams to win their group to advance to semifinals.

Santi Gómez Cora’s side will play against South Africa and Great Britain, two teams that Álvarez Fourcade refuses to look down on with superiority.

“The Blitzbokke have always be power in Sevens and even if they’ve had their ups and downs in recent times, they don’t stop being what they were. Our first game will be a quarterfinal of sorts.”

“And Team GB might not be of a similar standard as that of South Africa but are a side that works very well off the field and are in constant growth. There will be no error margin with either.”

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A year ago, Argentina was chased to the final line by Ireland, who finished second in the HSBC SVNS League. This time, the eight-point lead and the high standard of rugby is such that only lunatics will bet against them this weekend.

The team is certain that the top place is far from a fait-accompli. They refuse to look ahead of Singapore and the job at hand.

“After Singapore will start focusing on Los Angeles. Winning there changes everything as the champion is coronated there.”

“We want to continue to grow, learning along the way and peaking at the right time. If we do that, then wins will come.”