Argentina 7s vs France 7s

France struck within 60 seconds. Enahemo Artaud crossed in the opening minute and Rayan Rebbadj converted to give Les Bleus a 7-0 lead at Stade de Bordeaux.

Argentina hit back immediately. Santiago Vera Feld scored in the 3rd minute and added the conversion to level the score at 7-7.

Paulin Riva restored France's advantage in the 5th minute, dotting down to make it 12-7. But Argentina refused to buckle — Vera Feld scored his second try in the 7th minute, converting it himself, to put Los Pumas Sevens ahead 14-12.

The lead lasted barely a minute. Jordan Sepho powered over in the 8th minute to swing momentum back to the home side at 17-14. Neither side could land the conversion.

The decisive moment came in the 14th minute. With the clock ticking into the final play, Gregoire Arfeuil darted over in the corner to seal the 22-14 victory for France.

France's response to losing the lead was the key. After Argentina went 14-12 up through Vera Feld's second converted try, France could have crumbled — they had conceded two quick scores in a three-minute spell. Instead, Sepho's try within 60 seconds of the restart steadied Les Bleus, and Arfeuil's late corner finish capped a composed close to a chaotic match.

Earlier on day one, France had suffered a 26-21 defeat to New Zealand — Roderick Solo scoring a try after the hooter — which made this fixture a must-win to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.

Gregoire Arfeuil (France): Scored the match-sealing try in the 14th minute, darting over in the corner to break Argentina's resistance. Player of the match.

Santiago Vera Feld (Argentina): Scored both of Argentina's tries (3', 7') and converted them both, keeping Los Pumas in the contest throughout the first half.

Paulin Riva (France): The veteran France captain crossed in the 5th minute, providing a crucial response after Argentina had drawn level.

Jordan Sepho (France): His try in the 8th minute, immediately after Argentina had taken the lead, was the most pivotal score of the match.

France scored four tries to Argentina's two, but landed only one conversion (Rebbadj, 2') compared to Argentina's two from Vera Feld. The 8-point margin (22-14) reflected France's superior try count in a game where both sides traded blows. The match featured five tries across a 7-minute spell (3' to 8'), before a lull until Arfeuil's decisive 14th-minute score.

The result left Pool C finely balanced after day one. New Zealand topped the pool with two wins from two (beating France 26-21 and Germany 33-7). France and Argentina each had one win — France's bonus-point victory over Argentina proving crucial for the standings. The hosts carried momentum into day two, where they would eventually reach the semi-finals at their home tournament.

For Argentina, the defeat meant they needed results to go their way on day two to advance. The loss ultimately proved decisive in a tight pool.

France's next fixtures were on day two of HSBC SVNS Bordeaux (6 June 2026). Argentina faced the same day needing to bounce back.

A composed must-win response from France after the New Zealand heartbreak. The home side weathered Argentina's momentum and closed out a tense contest through Sepho's immediate response and Arfeuil's late finish. The difference between a narrow escape and a damaging defeat.