The Uruguay Sevens, branded as Seven Punta, is an annual international rugby sevens tournament. Currently held in the capital Montevideo, it was hosted as the Punta del Este Sevens in the resort city of the same name for three decades from 1989 onwards. The tournament retains that history in its branding.
The event was formerly part of the IRB Sevens World Series for the inaugural season in 2000. In recent years it has been part of the Sudamérica Sevens Series and the World Sevens Challenger Series.
The tournament is organised by the Old Boys Club, usually in January or February. It attracts the participation of clubs from Uruguay and neighboring countries such as Argentina, as well as selected provincial and national teams.
Internationally, it is the highest profile Uruguayan rugby event,Bath, p 78 and has attracted players of the calibre of Jonah Lomu in the past,NZ wins Uruguay sevens in The Press (Christchurch, New Zealand), published 7 January 1999The Development of Rugby in the River Plate Region: Irish Influences - Hugh FitzGerald Ryan, part four, retrieved, 10 December 2009 as well as teams like Fiji, Argentina, New Zealand, Samoa and Belgium Barbarians
International sevens The tournament was first played in 1989 and featured mostly club teams from Uruguay and Argentina in the early years. Its history as an international event grew in the 1990s when many of the best players and teams in the world travelled to Uruguay for the Seven Punta.
International 7s and World Series: 1993 to 2001 The inaugural Punta del Este International Sevens tournament in 1993 attracted teams from Australia, France, England and New Zealand, as well as neighbours Argentina and Paraguay, plus Uruguay itself as host. The final was won by New Zealand, defeating Australia in a closely fought match by 26–19. Other national teams including Fiji, Tonga and Samoa were added to the field in subsequent years as the tournament grew in status. Punta del Este was included as a stop on the 1999–2000 World Sevens Series but was dropped from the tour after the inaugural season. After one further event in 2001, won by Argentina who defeated New Zealand by 26–21 in the final, the international sevens at Punta del Este ceased.
Season Venue Cup final PlacingsRefs Punta del Este Winner Score Runner-up Plate Bowl For club & invitational 1989 to 1992 — See § Early years 1993 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 26–19 Buenos Aires Cuyo 1994 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 35–12 Rosario Cote d'Aquitaine 1995 Estadio Ginés Cairo Medina 36–19 Aus Barbarians FIRA 1996 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 31–26 Buenos Aires Old Boys 1997 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 35–14 1997 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s. 1998 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 42–19 ?1998 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s. 1999 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 38–44 n/a 2000Estadio Domingo Burgueño 42–19 2000 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s. 2001 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 26–21 Paysandú2001 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s.
Key:Dark blue line indicates a tournament included in the World Rugby Sevens Series.
Select teams events: 2005 and 2012 After the tournament was restarted in 2003 as an event for club teams, some national and invitational sides began to be attracted back to play against the clubs, and occasionally a parallel international tournament was included again at the Punta del Este Sevens. The first was an IRB satellite competition in 2005 which included several national teams. In 2012, an all-selection tournament for national and invitational teams was played, with Argentina defeating South Africa's academy to win the final.
Season Venue Cup final PlacingsRefs Punta del Este Winner Score Runner-up Third Fourth2005 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 38–14 Moby Dick BFL Mercosur2005 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s. 2012 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 22–5 2012 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s.
International sevens: 2017 onward From 2017 to 2019 the Seven Punta was included on the annual Sudamérica Rugby Sevens series, and contested by selected international teams. In 2020 the tournament was part of the World Sevens Challenger Series. It was relocated for the first time to Montevideo but kept the Seven Punta name. Japan won the cup final in 2020, defeating host nation Uruguay in extra time.
Season Venue Cup final PlacingsRefs Punta del Este Winner Score Runner-up Third Fourth 2017 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 22–21 USA Falcons Argentina y Fiji, los mejores en el arranque del #SudaméricaRugby7s (in Spanish) Sudamerica Rugby. 7 January 2017. 2018 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 21−5 2018 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s. 2019 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 7–5 Montevideo Winner Score Runner-up Third Fourth 2020Estadio Charrua 5–0(a.e.t.)
Key:
Light blue line indicates a tournament included in the Sudamérica Rugby Sevens series.
Green line indicates a tournament included in the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series.
Club and invitational tournament
Early years: 1989 to 1992 The first four tournaments featured mainly South American club teams although host club Old Boys organised an invitational team known as "Anzacs Old Boys" which won the Cup in 1991 and 1992. That team featured notable players from Australia and New Zealand, including John Eales, Jason Little, Eric Rush and Frank Bunce alongside players such as South American representative Gabriel Travaglini. In 1993 the tournament became the Punta del Este International Sevens and featured selected national teams from around the world.
Season Venue Cup finalRefs Club & Invitational Winner Runner-up 1989 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Old Boys Banco Nación 1990 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Los Tilos Pueyrredón 1991 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Anzacs Old Boys Los Tilos 1992 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Anzacs Old Boys Pueyrredón
Gold Cup: 2003 onwards Following a one year hiatus after the international sevens had ended in 2001, the event was restarted in 2003 as a tournament for club teams in a return to roots. For the fourteen seasons from 2003 to 2016, the tournament was contested mainly by club teams, but with the occasional national representative selections and sponsored invitational teams entered in the same division. Since 2017, club teams have competed in a separate division to international selections.
A Gold Cup is awarded to the champion team. Silver and Bronze Cups were usually awarded to teams winning the lower bracket playoffs, although the minor placings in the top bracket were given recognition in 2017.
Season Venue Gold Cup PlacingsRefs Club & invitational Winner Score Runner-up Silver Cup Bronze CupNo tournament in 2002 2003 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Old Boys 13–7 Old Christians La Tablada Pucaru[es] 2004 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Hindú 22–19 La Ballena Marista Mendoza 2005 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Alumni 27–14 Hindú Old Christians n/a 2006 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Moby Dick 24–5 Jockey de Salta Old Christians Pucaru[es] 2007 Estadio Domingo Burgueño San Isidro CASI 26–17 Moby Dick Hindú San Isidro SIC 2008 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 25–0 Buenos Aires Jockey de Salta 2009 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 34–14 Los Tordos2009 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s. 2010 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Buenos Aires 17–12 Bridgestone VII2010 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s. 2011 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Buenos Aires 19–10 Salta [es] Córdoba Athletic Moby Dick2011 Punta del Este 7s Rugby 7s. 2012 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Personal VII 19–10 Moby Dick Buenos Aires Paysandú Clubs 2013 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Buenos Aires39–0 Moby Dick Jockey de Salta Matches (in Spanish) 7 Punta. 2013. 2014 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 19–14 Moby Dick Pucará Matches (in Spanish) 7 Punta. 2014. 2014–15 Punta del Este Polo & Country Club Moby Dick15–7 Pucará Moby Dick Champion Punta del Este Sevens! (in Spanish) Rugby Time. 28 December 2014. Punta del Este Polo & Country Club Córdoba Athletic 21–5 Moby Dick Pucará Liceo Naval Club & invitational Winner Score Runner-up Third Fourth 2017 Estadio Domingo Burgueño Córdoba Athletic 28–7 La Tablada Trébol Carrasco Polo No club competition in 2018 2019 Estadio Domingo Burgueño 17–12 Old Boys La Tablada Trébol Club – Seven de Old Boys Winner Score Runner-up Silver Cup Bronze Cup 2019–20 Estadio Charrua, Montevideo Old Boys 15–10 Lobos ?
Notes
References
Bibliography Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 )
External links
2019 Seven Punta site 2017 Seven Punta site
Incredible fightback sees Uruguay home on RWC Sevens. 2008.