Speranza 22 finally got the heart-warming win they’d hungered five years for, yet in the intervening years where victory had been agonisingly close yet oh so far away, something much more important had been formed – a family.
Speranza 22 was set up in 2013 as a group of friends who played together at Abu Dhabi Harlequins wanted to honour their pal Marco Speranza, who died in a plane crash, aged just 20, in his native Argentina that February.
More than 50 players have worn the sky blue Speranza 22 shirt over the course of the last five Dubai Rugby Sevens, and three of the players who finally tasted triumph on Pitch 1 at The Sevens Stadium in front of thousands on Saturday would have been looking skywards and thinking of their friend.
The scene at the final whistle.
Brothers Rodrigo, Ignacio and Nico Costa are the only three remaining from the original Speranza side of 2013, with middle sibling Ignacio having played alongside Marco in the Quins side that won the Gulf U18s title at the Sevens in 2009.
Speranza earned a pretty convincing victory in Saturday’s International Invitation Men’s Cup final, beating SA 7s Academy – boasting perhaps some future South African sevens international in their ranks – convincingly, 17-5.
Speranza’s dad Orlando, who still lives in the UAE capital, was on the pitch to celebrate with the Costa brothers and the rest of the team, along with daughters Nadia and Agostina, something Greene admitted was very special.
“The emotions are pretty raw, there were tears streaming down my face on the pitch when the final whistle went,” said Rory Greene, the Speranza coach, who is also Mike McFarlane’s assistant at Quins.
It was an emotional win for the Speranza 22 side.
“Orlando, Marco’s dad, was there on the pitch with us thanks to organisers. And to have him there and Nadia and Agostina on the sidelines, it was amazing.”
Although nothing compared to the heartache Orlando, Stella (Marco’s mother, the couple are now divorced) and the Speranza family would have felt after losing their son five years ago, Speranza 22’s road to Sevens glory has been a heartbreaking one.
They were beaten by Wyvern Harlequins in the semi-finals of the International Open Men’s Trophy competition on debut in 2013. It was to turn into a rivalry over the ensuing years, Speranza beaten 21-17 by Wyvern in the 2014 Trophy final and then again 21-19 in the Trophy quarter-finals a year later, while defeat came at the hands of Projecx Waterboys 26-19 in last year’s Plate final.
They were not to be denied a sixth time, however, with a second half flurry seeing SA put to the sword with a three-try flurry, with the young Blitzbokke getting a consolation score right at the death.
In a double celebration, Speranza’s second side also tasted glory in the International Open Men’s section too, beating Olymp Men 33-12 in the Plate final.
Despite finally breaking their trophy duck, Greene insists the Speranza 22 brand now transcends winning.
After multiple heartbreaks on the pitch, this was a sweet victory.
“Every year it hurts when we’ve lost, every day it hurts when we think about Marco. He’s such a special boy,” said Greene.
“Originally we set it up just so the boys who played with Marco could have a bit of a reunion and it’s now grown into something so much bigger.
“We’ve had 55 boys pull on the Speranza shirt and it’s about building a legacy for Marco. We can do that by playing a bit of footy, advertising for good causes.
“Of course we want to win but it’s so much more than that. All we ask is someone who puts the shirt on to represent the brand the way Marco would have. If you have good people the quality will come with that. I can say without a shadow of a doubt there’s not one of the 50-odd lads I wouldn’t have back in a heartbeat tomorrow.”
The team has come together through tragedy and created a special bond, a new family. And Orlando insists the entire squad are all now part of his family.
“It is something unbelievable that people coming from all over the world were cheering your name, wearing your jersey and being at the stadium was something that I will never forget,” said Speranza Snr, 53, an aircraft engineer who works for LATAM Etihad.
“Marco is not with us but I have seen Marco in every person who participate in our movement. The Costas, they are the ones who spread our word in New Zealand and put together a great team and fantastic players.
“But most importantly they are great human beings, with our sponsors, who believe and trust in our cause. They are legends, they are family, this is the Speranza 22 family.”
