Argentina’s men’s national rugby team players Marcos Moneta and Rodrigo Isgró have been nominated for this year’s World Rugby Men’s Best Sevens Player of the Year. The award crowns the best player in the rugby sevens variant and will be presented at the Opera Garnier in Paris next Sunday.

The awards crown the best players in 11 categories and are set to be presented the day after the 2023 Rugby World Club final between the All Blacks and South Africa at the Stade de France. 

Each category is voted for by former international players and coaches, World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees, and members of the rugby media. Fans can also vote online for the International Rugby Players Men’s Try of the Year until 8 a.m. Argentina time this Saturday.

Moneta and Isgró, the only Argentines bidding for an award, are nominated for the Men’s Best Sevens Player of the Year, together with New Zealanders Leroy Carter and Akuila Rokolisoa.

Moneta is looking for his second award in the category after winning it in 2021. Isgró is part of the Pumas team that will go up against England for the bronze medal in this year’s Rugby World Cup. The only Argentine ever nominated for the award before Moneta was Lucio Lopez Fleming, who got the nod in 2004.

The Pumas Sevens had their best all-time season in 2022-23. It won six medals (three gold and three silver) in the Sevens Rugby circuit and finished second in the World Ranking, its best position ever. This qualified them directly for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It won a bronze medal in the 2020 Olympic Games as well as a silver medal in the 2009 World Cup.

Should Moneta or Isgró win, they won’t be the sole Argentine getting an award, as former PumaJuan Martín Hernández will be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. The World Rugby Awards 2023 can be watched live on RugbyPass TV for free, starting 6 p.m. CET time, 1 p.m. Argentina.