SINGAPORE – As a young boy in Cordoba, Argentina, Gaston Revol shared a common dream with many in his football-crazy nation: To proudly wear the iconic blue and white jersey made famous by the likes of Diego Maradona.
But, guided by his father’s aspirations, Revol ultimately found his calling in a different sport.
It is a path that has led him to be revered in Argentinian sevens rugby and the most seasoned player in the HSBC SVNS, an annual series run by World Rugby.
Revol and Los Pumas Sevens are leading the SVNS standings and could seal their maiden series title in the May 3-5 Singapore leg at the National Stadium.
The 37-year-old, now in his swansong season, will be aiming to make it memorable by lifting the SVNS trophy before earning an Olympic gold at the July 26-Aug 11 Paris Games.
In Tokyo in 2021, Argentina settled for bronze. It was a tournament Revol would rather forget as he was sent off for a horrific tackle in their quarter-final against South Africa.
Revol, who confirmed in a virtual interview on April 8 that he will call time on international rugby after the Olympics, said: “What happened in Tokyo is in the past... now we have another opportunity and our team has been preparing well in the last few years.
“I’m sure our team is strong enough to fight for the gold medal.”
Revol, who captained the team at Rio 2016 and was one of the senior players in Tokyo, said his longevity in the sport is due to his will to realise his dream.
He has already had two milestones this season: The first player to reach 100 HSBC SVNS matches last December and surpassing 1,000 points at the April 5-7 Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, where Argentina finished ninth out of 12.
A player earns five points for scoring a try, three points for a drop goal and two points for a post-try conversion.
He said: “My energy comes from my dreams. I have been deciding (contemplating) during the last five to six years on when to retire. But there is always another objective and my feeling is that I can go for something more.”
On the Olympic front, while traditional powerhouses Fiji and New Zealand, who bagged gold and silver at the last edition, will be the ones to beat, Revol was not afraid to talk up Argentina’s chances.
He said: “New Zealand and us are higher (than the rest) by just a little bit... These couple of months we need to try and work at every detail and prepare for anything that could happen.”
Fuelling the scrum-half’s confidence is his team’s fine form. Los Pumas Sevens, who won three legs of the 2024 series in South Africa, Canada and Australia, are eight points ahead of Ireland.
They will seal top spot if they finish fourth or higher in Singapore, or if they end with fewer than eight points behind Ireland.
Teams are awarded points in every leg of the series, with the Cup winner earning 20 points and the last-placed team getting one.
The HSBC SVNS, a revamped event which replaced the World Rugby Sevens Series, kicked off in Dubai last December featuring 12 men and women’s teams.
A series winner will be crowned in Singapore, the last of the seven legs. The top eight teams will then contest the Grand Finals in Madrid from May 31-June 2.
On bagging the title in Singapore, Revol, who made his international debut in 2009, said: “I am sure that the results will come and we will enjoy the tournament as we have been enjoying the whole season till Hong Kong.
“After 15 years... if we can win the series, it would be a dream come true.”
