‘We cried before and after every game’: Speranza 22 celebrate 10 years at Dubai Sevens

When a group of mates fixed a date in their diaries back in 2013 for a reunion to honour a friend who had recently died, it was meant to be for one weekend only.

A chance to get together and share some memories, as well as dust off the boots and throw a rugby ball around at the Emirates Dubai Sevens.

Ten years on, the side they created has morphed into a highly successful globetrotting sevens outfit that includes Olympic medal winners among its number.

Speranza 22 will be back at the Sevens this weekend for its 10th anniversary, with three teams set to feature.

It was set up by a group of teammates from the Abu Dhabi Harlequins side who had won the 2009 Gulf Under-18 tournament in Dubai.

Marco Speranza, who was part of that side, died in an air crash in his native Argentina earlier in 2013.

His mates have done a fine job of maintaining his memory. As well as being regulars in Dubai, the side have also become fixtures at Melrose, Amsterdam, Denver and Bournemouth sevens.

In excess of 250 players have represented them in the past decade, including the players who won the first Sevens gold at the Olympics in Rio in 2016.

In the next Games, two of their players – Amanaki Nicole of New Zealand and Fiji's Jiuta Wainiqolo – played against each other in the gold-medal final.

None of which was planned.

“It was going to be a one-off in 2013,” said Rory Greene, the manager of the S22 side who had been the coach of the 2009 Quins U18s.

“Then for all the reasons we did it, getting together with Orlando Speranza [Marco’s father] and the family, we thought, ‘Why don’t we do it again,’ the following year.

“It has just organically grown from there. It is like everything in life. You look at it and think, ‘How on earth did we get to where