Sometimes less is more. With this logic, World Rugby Attempt to revive World Sevens Circuitwith Fewer countries, The most attractive encounters and More stages All season long. This is on Saturday at Al-Sabaa Stadium Dubaithe SVNS Elite Tour will begin, which includes Pumas 7S. Starting at 6.10 Argentina will be measured with Fiji In the first match of the group stage, which is broadcast on Disney+.
The traditional stage in United Arab Emirates The season will debut in a format where the World Circuit will for the first time consist of three tiers. The highest category will award two titles again: One of Winner of the series And this is from Season champion. Argentina dominated the last two series and lifted the trophies, but remained weak in the ‘Grand Final’. In 2024, they lost in the qualifiers to France, and in 2025, they lost in the semi-finals to Spain.
This season will be divided into two parts: SVNS series (Dubai, Cape Town, Singapore, Perth, Vancouver and New York) will only shine Eight choicesand SVNS World Championship (Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux) It will include four other countries Coming from a second category. the “The grand finale”The one who is awarded the title of season champion will be A The sum of these three stagesInstead of consisting of only one. Therefore, it provides a Greater margin of error. It’s not all or nothing on the weekend.
It will be a season Forced replacement For Pumas 7S. after Departure to Matthias Osadchuk, Augustin Fraga, Tobias Wade, Alejo Lavaine, German Schultz and Thomas Elizalde There will be a mandatory transition, which is really necessary. In recent years, there has been practically no rotation and it was necessary to replenish the team in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. “Post-Olympic transitions are a tough blow for everyone; we are dealing with our transition in the second year of the cycle, when other teams started last season. But our pre-season has been flawless, and cohesion is the prize. Results will chase performance“, he pointed out Santiago Gomez Coraarchitect of the entire structure of the Argentine Sevens. “We are replacing players who have changed to (rugby) 15, and we are thinking about 2028 and 2032. We focus on the future, not the short term“The coach added.
They will be doing their first show in Dubai Martiniano Arrieta, Eliseo Morales and Sebastian Dubuquefigure of the Under-20 team that won gold at the 2025 Pan American Games in Asuncion. Fast and elusive, the Hurling back can be positioned as a center or as a winger. Arrieta is physically strong and is an option within the group. Morales joins the scrum-half variants. Al-Qurtubi Valentin Maldonado He was the 13th player (will come in due to injury). Juan Patricio Patac He was ruled out and will await his chance the following week in Cape Town.
The reduction from twelve to eight teams turns every tournament into a “massacre.” There will be no easy competitors. In the group stage in Dubai, Argentina, the winner of the last series, shares the region with the last champion there, with the current Olympic champion and with the champion of the last season. At 6:10 in Buenos Aires this Saturday, the Pumas 7s will make their debut against Fiji, at 9.38 You will come across France This stage of the competition will be closed starting at 13.34against South Africa. In the new format, all matches in the region will be played on the same day, which means greater physical demands. The first and second from each group qualify for the semi-finals on Sunday.
Despite the renewal, Argentina has the arguments to stay at the top. Luciano Gonzalez Rizzoni and Marcos Moneta They are global stars and bring a special factor to the team. They are players Winning matchesof which there are not many. Santiago Alvarez Fourcade, Santiago Marie and Lautaro Bazan Velez It will matter because of experience, leadership and leadership voice. Unified in specialization, Matteo Graziano and Joaquin Belandini They will try to make the leap to establish themselves as elite figures, while… Santino Zangara and Santiago Vera Field They will definitely have a bigger role than before on the field.
Other teams will also have new faces at the start of the season. In Dubai, Australia Three starters will be presented. Fiji, one; Francetwo; Great Britainsix ; New Zealandfour; Spainone. The only healthy country is South Africa. the Blitzkrieg They supported Al Qaeda with figures such as Sylvain Davids, Zane Davids and Shelton Van WyckAnd they leave like Top favorites In the first two stages. In the UAE, they have won five of their last six matches, and the following weekend they are at home to Cape Town, another SVNS fixture.
The Dubai Championship is one of the few tournaments that the Pumas 7s have yet to win. In 25 appearances, they have reached the final once, in 2023, when they fell to South Africa, 12-7. Difficult scenario with Oppressive heatEspecially in midday meetings. There the Argentines will try to begin writing another chapter of their history, with new names, but also through a process that supports them.