By JON GEDDES

A half Argentinian-half Uruguayan former rugby league player provided the Latin heat and starred for the Western Sydney Two Blues as they captured a hat-trick of victories by winning the Col Crawford BMW Warringah 7s last Saturday.

Twenty-two-year-old Diego Papa capped a lively performance by scoring the try which sealed his side’s 19-7 victory over Eastwood in the final at Rat Park in the tournament which kicked off the club rugby season in Sydney.

“I grew up in western Sydney with all the boys,” said the former Cabramatta rugby league player who is starting his second season in rugby. “They gave me a call to give rugby a go and I thought ‘why not?’

“I came last year learning the game and they gave me a go in sevens this year and it is going good,” said Papa, who loves watching the Aussie Sevens sides and learning from them.

After cutting his teeth in his new code last year, the No.10/winger is ready to continue his progression this season.

“The coaches are helping me a lot – the more you play, the more you learn especially in sevens,” he said. “I just have to keep working hard, the boys surrounding me are helping me a lot.”

As for his crucial try in Saturday’s final, Papa said with a beaming grin: “It was so good, we put it together and worked hard for each other.”

Sevens in an ideal vehicle to introduce players like Papa with a league background to rugby and he has fallen in love with that form of the game.   

Two Blues co-coach Daniel Geurs said Papa may be a slightly built footballer, but has real wheels  – and he was certainly burning the rubber at Narrabeen.

“He’s a good kid, it’s about finding his position,” Geurs said.

THREE IN A ROW  

Collecting the $5000 winners cheque enhanced the Two Blues’ growing reputation as sevens guns after taking out the tournaments in Wagga and Hamilton over the two previous weekends.

“It was awesome, the boys have been working really hard in sevens and we are really becoming a formidable force,” Geurs said.

He said the club’s sevens players have been training twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays, involving a group of players who are really committed to the program.

Significantly, Geurs said the successes the Two Blues have enjoyed in sevens have boosted the credentials of the whole club.

“To me, the sevens tournaments boost culture and really build you into a season,” he said. “You get that winning way in sevens.”       

“We are looking forward to next week, the final (tournament) in Kiama.”

The Col Crawford BMW Warringah Sevens proved a real success with games being played continuously from 8am until after six.

It would be great to see more clubs involved next year and the players loved getting back into some competition after the long off-season grind. 

In the other finals, Gordon beat Warringah 19-17 in an exciting Colts’ decider, Sydney University defeated Gordon 22-0 in the women’s division, Newport had a 14-5 win over Forest in the subbies and some talented schoolboy talent was on show as Knox beat St Augustine’s 31-10.