International 7s and World Series: 1995 to 2002[edit]
Inspired by the success of Uruguay's Punta del Este Sevens, which hosted many of the world's best teams during the 1990s, the Argentine Rugby Union introduced an international tournament of their own in 1995. The inaugural Mar del Plata International Sevens
was won by New Zealand, defeating Fiji in a closely matched final by 26–21.[1] In 2000, the tournament was included in World Sevens Series I, the first edition of the worldwide circuit for seven-a-side rugby.[2] The following year Mar del Plata was host of the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Selected teams invitational event: 2003 onward[edit]
After 2002, when no longer on the World Sevens circuit, the international sevens tournament at Mar del Plata was contested by invited national teams – mainly from the Americas but some further afield – as well as by selected and invitational sides (mostly representative teams from Argentina).
During this era, the international tournament was sometimes hosted in conjunction with other competitions featuring national teams. This was the case in 2010 when the schedule included the Sudamérica Rugby Sevens, and teams from that tournament were joined by other select sides including from United States and South Africa to contest the Mar del Plata international sevens title.[9] In 2015, Mar del Plata hosted a Pan American Games qualification event alongside the international sevens tournament.[10]
Winners since 2010 (details might not be complete):
^ abGold, Silver and Bronze cups are the nominal trophies for many rugby sevens tournaments in South America. These are generally equivalent to the Cup, Plate and Bowl – for first, fifth and ninth place, respectively – as awarded in the traditional sevens tournament with sixteen teams. For an event with a different number of teams or divisions, however, these trophies may awarded differently.
^The 2014 tournament was intended to be for national teams only but Brazil and Uruguay focused instead on the Viña Sevens which offered qualifying spots for the 2014 Hong Kong Sevens. So Argentina, Chile and Paraguay competed at Mar del Plata, along with five UAR affiliated unions.[12]
^The international sevens for 2015 was hosted at the Aldosivi club's premises in conjunction with two other tournaments to determine qualifying places for the Pan American Games in Toronto later that year: one event for men and one for women.[10] For more details, see - 2015 Mar del Plata Sevens
^Litoral 7 is a combination of players from the Rosario, Entrerriana, and Santafesina rugby unions.[16]
^The 2015 women's competition was played as a Pan American qualifier over two round robin days, with the two top placed teams qualifying for the Pan Am Games rugby sevens. Argentina and Colombia qualified.[10]