• • Facebook
  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • Technorati
  • Reddit
  • Stumble Upon
  • Furl

Tom Chick

In February, Argentina beat England 19-14 to win the USA Sevens in San Diego to claim only their second ever IRB World Series Cup title.

The Pumas' only previous Cup success also came on American soil in California, in Los Angeles in 2004, but there was another factor other than the location that was similar on both occasions.

In 2004 not many people had heard of Santiago Gomez Cora as the South Americans famously turned history on its head and beat New Zealand to take their first ever title.

But when he crossed in the victory over England five years later to further his position at the top of the all-time leading try scorers in IRB Series history, no one was surprised that he was lifting the trophy as the captain of the victorious team.

When people wonder who the greatest Sevens player of all time is, it is Ben Gollings and Waisale Serevi that often get the accolades but for me it is the South American who should be recognised.

Gollings may comfortably sit at the top of the all-time leading points scorers chart followed by Serevi, but Gomez Cora should not be forgotten in third.

All-time leading try scorer

What is remarkable is the fact that of his 1153 points, 1125 have come from 225 tries, whereas Gollings and Serevi have scored a fair percentage of their points from the boot and as Gollings is leading the all-time points scored chart by some margin, Cora is as the leading try scorer, helped in no small part by 28 more last season.

Ask anyone if they prefer tries or conversions and there is only one winner, so what this suggests is that, of the three, he could be seen as the most entertaining player in history for a Sevens crowd – delighting them with his mercurial footwork, speed and vision.

“I'm very proud of this achievement,” said the 31-year-old. “It is a reflection of many years of sacrifice and I look at it with obvious pleasure. It is also a little reflection of having done things well in my career.

“But nothing is impossible, everything can be pursued and anybody else can achieve the same,” he added with modesty.

Argentina, who have become more consistent on the IRB Series in recent times, finished fifth overall last year and as well as winning in San Diego, they also appeared in Cup semi-finals in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

Next title not far away

Of course Cora will hope they won’t have to wait another five years until their next IRB Series win, and I would suggest they won’t with the first leg in Dubai only two months away, but he will always have fond memories when it comes to the circuit which he has almost become synonymous with.

“The IRB Sevens Circuit is excellent. The organisation, the possibility to develop yourself as a player and the chances you get to go to many beautiful and exotic places make it what it is,” said Buenos Aires born Cora.

“Luckily I have played many times. It is logical to always remember the most successful ones as my favourites and Los Angeles in 2004 and San Diego in 2009 obviously come to mind.

“But I enjoy playing against New Zealand and Fiji because they are renowned for their Sevens so it is great to be able to test your skills against theirs, and I love going to Hong Kong and Dubai because of the exotic locations and the atmosphere.”

As a stalwart for Argentinean rugby ever since that Series win in Los Angeles in 2004 he has grown into a role model for many up and coming players not only for his performances on the field but also with the way he conducts himself off it.

The Argentina Sevens head coach, Duncan Forrester, led his side to the final at the RWC Sevens and was grateful for having a player like Cora in and amongst it in the middle to help the younger players.

“He (Gomez Cora) brings a lot of experience. He has played for the last 10 years, scoring a lot of tries. But he is also very important for the other players. He brings a lot of experience. Having him in the team means he does not just bring good play, he brings a lot of experience too,” said Forrester.

Pending retirement?

Cora’s season has been slightly hampered with injury and he did not play a part in the World Games where Argentina lost to South Africa in the bronze medal match.

The season did however see the captain not only be a part of the historic victory in San Diego, but also lead his side to an unexpected final appearance at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in March having beaten overall IRB Series winners South Africa in the quarter-final.

They lost 19-12 to Wales in Dubai when the match looked to be heading into sudden death extra-time but the event also provided somewhat of a fairy tale for Santiago - another chance to play with his brother Pablo, but this time on the biggest stage.

“It was lovely to play with my brother. He is not just my brother but my friend in life. Playing with him for many years and singing the national anthem together are the magical moments you work for. There is nothing like defending your country together.”

At 31 it is not known how many more events Gomez Cora will play at, and the Argentineans may be a little concerned about the gap a player of his stature could leave, where the tries may come from and the impact it could have.

But the success Argentina has had in the past couple of years, and he would be the first to admit it, is not just down to Gomez Cora.

With this assurance there is less to worry about when Gomez Cora does decide to hang up his boots and he also acknowledged several more players who will make their mark on the big stage in the forthcoming years.

“I feel sad when I think about my retirement, but maybe it will be better for the team,” he said with a smile. “Since the World Cup I have just been trying to enjoy what was achieved last year.”

“I don’t like to draw comparisons but there are plenty of other players to continue the success of the team including Martin Miguel Nunez Lasalle and Martin Bustos Moyano, they are very good players with good skills.”

Next generation

It is players such as Moyano, who outscored Cora at the RWC Sevens with five tries, who will step into the limelight, but now there is an extra carrot that will see more and more South Americans develop as Sevens players – a chance to play in the Olympics if the decision is approved in October.

Despite the probability that Santiago Gomez Cora will not play in the Olympic Games the movement has his complete backing.

“For Argentina the decision is very important as the Olympics would give us a chance to try to win more medals,” added Gomez Cora. “Sevens itself would receive much support, perhaps from the government, which would be very good.”

“With help from the IRB, from advertising, campaigns and every possible bit of support we can make this dream a reality.”

Who knows, we may well see him singing the national anthem as the head coach – he has all the attributes required.