With players hugging each other and celebrating Argentina 7s eleventh tournament win, and ninth since 2022, superstar Marcos Moneta, who after a superb tournament contribution finished the game in the bench, ran onto the field holding a mobile phone.
On the other side, on WhatsApp from Argentina was perennial coach Santiago Gómez Cora who did not travel, for the first time, to a tournament.
The celebratory chaos made it very difficult to hear each other, but if COVID teach us something, is that remoteness is not as bad as we used to believe.
“I would have loved to have been in Perth,” he tells RugbyPass. As much as he hates travelling, he missed being there with the team.
“You read vibes by looking at players, how they move, what they say, their faces…I missed all of that.”
Having only missed one training session since his first day on the job – “Hong Kong 2018, with a high fever, I didn’t miss for a family tragedy” – his absence pitch-side was noticeable.
“After returning from Dubai and Cape Town last month, one morning I couldn’t leave the bed with a strong back pain. I got a painkiller and went to pick up my son. His mother’s husband is a neurosurgeon and he told me to get a scan. He received the images and was straight on to me.”
What Dr. Santiago Erice saw wasn’t good. In fact, so bad that Santi, as everybody knows him, went into hospital on Xmas morning and the surgeon flew back from his family break to operate on him the following day.
“A nerve was crushed by the L3 vertebrae, an inguinal hernia. If we didn’t hurry, it would have been critical.” Critical as in losing control of his right leg and struggling with his urinary system, amongst other medical issues.
How bad it could have been, he only found out when he asked for clearance to travel to a training camp with the squad ahead of the trip to Perth.
Post operation, he has been to a rehab centre twice a day two hours each time, and the recovery has been positive, with signs of a very good future. “When I left the walking device, I was cheered by those I share the rehab with. It is day by day.”
In summary, Santi is very straight: “You have to listen to the signals the body sends. I took a painkiller and thought I’d be ok. Fortunately, I came across a doctor and things didn’t spiral downwards. Even for a fit person, that eats healthy, does yoga, your body can do crazy things.”
At 46, Santi is expecting to be back with the team in a couple of weeks ahead Vancouver, if given the green light. If not, the system in use for Perth, worked wonders.
“We used a lot of Zoom, a tool we’d tested when the team was in camp. I took part of every meeting and did a lot of analysis during the tournament.”
Before meetings, players had to walk in front of the computer to greet Santi so that he could see their demeanour.
There were also meeting with his staff and one-on-ones with players throughout the trip to Perth.
“I have been with Leo Gravano now for twelve years and we work together very well. Yet, I also encourage staff and players to challenge everything. So much, that I was convinced we needed to do something one way and Leo explained why it had to be done differently.”
Gravano’s assistant coach in Perth was Martín Gaitán, one of the finest players Argentina has ever produced. A heart attack playing against Wales in the eve of Rugby World Cup 2007 – only detected after the game – forced him to retire way too early. Fortunately, he stayed in the game and has been a mainstay in the Argentine Rugby Union’s coaching structure.
“Martin is one of my closest friends and we played together for Pumas 7s; he has always been close to us as a squad, attending sessions, very present and even travelled as a fan to a number of SVNS tournament, including Madrid last year.”
“Martín was the ideal choice as the players know him very well, his calm demeanour, communications skills, rugby knowledge and the way he empowers players are superb.”
After three decades covering the game, it is hard to find nicest, approachable people than these three.
In order to be in the same time zone – Perth is eleven hours ahead – Santi, moved into a hotel during the weekend.
By request, his room was isolated from the rest and he was able to ‘live’ the tournament with his accustomed passion.
“I started at 10pm, would attend meetings, then get footage from training sessions, speak with players and staff. The hardest was not having the feeling you get in a changing. There is no changing the vibe you get at the stadium.”
Argentina had a hard Pool, beating Australia 31-26, losing to the USA 19-24 (in overtime) and beating the Blitzbokke 19-17 (also in overtime). It was 27-14 in quarterfinals against Great Britain, followed by two superb wins in the last two games: 40-5 to Spain and 41-5 against Australia in the final.
“Imagine me shouting from the bed when Tobias Wade was pinned back for a dropped pass in the dying seconds against USA. It should have been a try and we would have won,” he smiles.
“We were then told it should have been a try.”
With the team slowly incorporating new players and new defensive and attacking systems, mistakes were expected.
“It was very pleasing that mistakes happened but we managed to correct them along the way. What didn’t work against USA, we corrected for the game against GB and Spain.”
There were many challenges, but the team found a way around them. Injuries did not derail them, with many players raising their hands. Moneta scored a semifinal hattrick and unlikely hero Matteo did likewise against the Aussies.
“We want to be the best, but we know that it takes time. We had every possible scenario during the weekend and we found our way.”
“Our standard in the fina two games was incredible. Players had no doubts, the team was convinced and had adjusted according to our suggestions. They have to be convinced in order to play that way.”
The mark of leadership is in that the hard work done in the leadup paid off.
“It confirms we are on the right track.”
A delighted Gómez Cora knows that this was a solution to a problem but will have to soon be again on a plane.
“I didn’t miss being stuck for 60 hours in a tin box in the air. It is not only the flying time in the back of plane. It is packing, driving to the airport, the time spent there, connections, jet-lag.”
Another benefit of being a remote coach for a tournament was that he watched most games of the tournament.
“I really enjoyed it, except our games which I struggle with. It was great fun and the commentary teams, with mates such as Karl Te Nana, and Rupert Cox, do a great job.”
It was Cox who, when interviewing Marcos Moneta right after the final, saw that Santi was facetiming the player and got a couple of answers off the delighted coach for the world feed.
“It is a great event a SVNS tournament,” concludes Santi.
His dream is to follow a complete SVNS Series as a fan the day he retires.
Even if it requires the same amount of air-travel.
