The previous results and the defeat of Samoa surely made the Argentine sevens team with the ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games play more relaxed, or perhaps without so much pressure. But none of that made us foresee the match they played this morning and the result obtained against none other than the always difficult Great Britain, who had just won two victories in the group and ran into Los Pumas Seven and their entire repertoire. It was thrashed 50-0 to close the area with pure success.
A while before, the team already knew that they had gotten the ticket to the Olympic Games. A goal, a dream, an objective. That is what Santiago Gómez Cora had considered with these Pumas Seven since he took over as coach. That family, as the seven-player team from Argentina is called, went through a more than positive process, where despite the replacement of players, the injured and the reinforcements for other national teams, they always managed to continue being among the best in the world, fighting for a place to add trophies and achieving positive results in pursuit of that goal.
He gave his best to reach the goal and today that dream came true: qualifying for next year’s Olympic Games in France is a fait accompli. Just this morning he got the classification and the ticket to France 2024 that came playing the Toulouse circuit, where they just finished advance to the quarterfinals as the first classified in the group by thrashing Britain with a resounding 50 to 0, in a historic performance; and set a new record this season for making the most difference over an opponent. And now they will go in search of another first place, in this tenth stage of the circuit.
The Pumas Seven shone throughout this season and except for a ninth place in Sydney they always entered the gold table to be among the eight best selected in each stage of the world circuit. They also obtained, up to now, two gold and two silver medals; with first places in Hamilton and Vancouver and second places in Los Angeles and Singapore, in a Circuit 22/23 where they shone equally throughout the competition.
In addition, they have achieved the maximum achievement with a staff that is meticulous in every detail and a group dedicated to the maximum for leaving everything for the other and putting the common and group objective of defending the national shirt above individual merit; In summary: for being a group of players who gave up everything to get to Paris 2024, the great dream goal.
In this way, Argentina is the third country to get a ticket to the Olympic Games in France 2024, of the five that will be there. they had already made it New Zealand (for being one of the top four on the world circuit) and the local team, Francefor hosting the competition.
Now the Argentine national team joined, by securing second place in the circuit, since Samoa, which was sixth with 111 points, could not enter the quarterfinals in Toulouse after losing to Ireland and Australia. In this way, Argentina counted before playing the game with Great Britain with a pass to the quarterfinals and beyond the results that he obtains from now on in this tournament and in the next one with which the circuit will close next week in London, the objective and the joy are not taken away by anyone.
The Pumas Seven thus reached participation in their third Olympic gamefacts that very few countries have been able to achieve since rugby returned as a discipline in Rio 2016.
“Work pays”, Gómez Cora often says and today more than ever that phrase has come true. Many hours of training, analysis and studies of the rivals, videos, statistics and prepared plays; all that effort of silent work and dedicated hours that very few know about. Anonymity of these players who shine today but who normally work in silence with a staff that has performed a thousand feats every day, to put this group where it is today.
The planned work and dedication of this group paid off; now it only remains to enjoy it, for later yes; set the great goal of playing the best role possible and go for the next dream: next year’s gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris.
It will still remain to participate in the Pan American Games in Chilewhich will surely serve to refine some details and where Gómez Cora’s team must defend the gold medal he obtained in Lima in 2019although the great goal was this and Los Pumas Seven achieved it.
Once again, Argentina will be at the top of world rugby through the team of seven, which only remains to be thanked for all the work and commitment assumed, which, as their coach rightly says, pays, today in Toulouse and surely if they maintain this line, they will continue shining next year in France 2024.
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