Lautaro Bazán Vélez has spent his career beating rugby’s biggest stages. Now, with the Ultimate Sevens, a wedding and another Olympic dream ahead of him, he’s chasing the next box on the list.
Youth Olympics: tick.
Junior World Rugby Championship U20: tick, tick, tick.
American Rugby Championship: Tick.
Cougars Weeks: beat, then beat again.
Rugby World Cup week: tick.
Olympics: tick. I’m aiming for a second tick of ’28.
Rugby X: tick.
Los Pumas: the tick.
Rugby Championship: tick.
Rugby World Cup: Tick.
Professional Rugby XV: tick.
Premier Sevens: tick.
Ultimate Sevens: ready to type.
And finally… marriage: it’s about to tick
If ticking boxes were a sport, Lautaro Bazán Vélez would probably be among the best.
From the last-minute recruitment in the Argentina U20 national team in 2014 and appeared in three junior world championships, to win silver in the first ever rugby tournament at the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games in the same year; from a bronze Olympic medal in Tokyo to playing in six of Argentina’s seven Rugby World Cup matches in France In 2023, his career has seen him perform at a high level at almost every level of the game.
He went from XV to seven, back to fifteen and now back to seven, where he feels most comfortable. Ready to play a role in the inaugural Ultimate Sevens season, the 30-year-old sat down with RugbyPass as he prepares to travel to Europe, while organizing his upcoming wedding to review the boxes he’s ticked and look ahead to those that need to be ticked.
Another box to tick
First to his last venture.
“We heard about the Ultimate Sevens from Tom Mitchell in Dubai last December, when he asked who would be interested,” says Bazán Vélez, knowing the importance of playing in the new circuit for his chances with the Argentina 7s.
After an injury-plagued season when, in his own words, he “wasn’t able to do his best,” surgery corrected his problems. Together with Pumas Sevens head coach Santiago Gómez Cora, they decided that Ultimate Sevens would provide the necessary playing time.
“Playing the Ultimate 7s will give me a lot of game time. I need to reacquaint myself with the game at full fitness. It’s going to be a great few weeks.”
At Sol Feroz, he will line up with player Luciano González, a former World Rugby Player of the Year candidate and long-time Argentina Sevens team-mate.
“It will be a great experience to play with players from other countries, to understand their culture, to live with them for a longer period of time.”
Bazán Vélez played for Hyrabad in the inaugural Premier Rugby Sevens competition in India, another great experience which he thoroughly enjoyed.
“Ultimate will be of a higher standard because there are no local players; it will be much more competitive.”
With a clear goal of Los Angeles 2028, Sol Feroz will be an important stepping stone.
“It will give me time for the match, get my rhythm back and be ready to fight back. Also, it will be great to be coached by Paco Hernández and Gaston Revol.”
Where it all began
The scrumhalf first played a week for his country in 2014. As an 18-year-old, he spent two weeks in Hong Kong training with a squad that included current Puma Bautista Delguy and future Italy international Domingo Miotti.
They then traveled to Nanjing for the first Youth Olympic Games. “We had a good team and came up short in the final against France. We competed at the start of the Games and stayed until the final ceremony. It was a great journey.”
Some of the stories from those Games, however, will remain untold. He spent three seasons in the U20s – the first season coming on as a late substitute, then established himself at that level before moving to Argentina XV and the American Rugby Championship.
After starring for his club Córdoba Athletic at the Punta del Este 7s, a tournament attended by Gómez Cora, Bazán Vélez was long-listed for the Olympic team for Rio 2016. He soon realized that sevens might be worth exploring and both formats of the game took over the services of ‘Lau19’ until sevens took over full-time.
By then he was starring in San Francisco in the RWC 7s which “should have brought more awards. The format was strange and we found ourselves on the road to Fiji. There were easier routes to the final.”
His rugby calendar was relentless. “It was crazy. From December 2018 to March 2019 I never went home to Cordoba. Dubai and Cape Town, Americas RC, Wellington and Sydney, back to ARC… until I tore a muscle.”
Understandable.
After three attempts, Argentina finally secured a medal at the Pan American Games in Lima 2019. By the time the pandemic shut down the world, the Pumas 7 were not in the best shape.
“Right before COVID hit, in Vancouver, we had a team meeting in the locker room at BC Place. The words were spoken. That’s the locker room we all remember.”
Roads leading to Tokyo
Things changed as the world opened up again and tournaments were finally won after a long hiatus. Including the one and only Rugby X at the O2 in London. “A fun experience,” in his own words.
“By Tokyo – played a year later, in 2021 – we were in our prime, inside a bubble that wouldn’t take us an inch away from our goals. So much so that when Gaston (Revol) was ruled out, no one panicked.”
Bazán Vélez sat in the sin bin as five Puma 7s managed to defeat the Blitzboks in an unforgettable quarter-final. Tired in the semifinals, Argentina was still very motivated for the bronze medal match against Great Britain.
They won.
The bronze medal, which hangs in his recovery room at home, made them all heroes.
Back to XV
Rovigo, in Italy, came to the pitch at the end of the 2021-22 season and with no real ambitions to play for Los Pumas, Bazán Vélez returned to the XV.
Expected to arrive in August, a call from then head coach Michael Cheik changed everything. He was promoted to a full national side. It only arrived at Northern Italy at the end of November.
He played in the next two Rugby Championships and in the International Exhibition.
“It took some time to adjust, but I felt I was playing my best rugby by the Rugby World Cup.”
Although he didn’t start a single game, he played six of the seven in France.
Life was sweet.
URC club Benetton was his next destination. It was not a good experience.
“I only played three games in five months, I never started for them. The weekend team was named on Mondays after the 630am video session. My girlfriend couldn’t travel with me. I was lonely; it was cold and dark. I didn’t enjoy it.”
Mental health issues are resolved. Under the tutelage of his former Pumita coach Fernando Guatieri, he was able to break his contract.
Back where it belongs
“I realized that I am the happiest with the weeks. I spoke with Santi and the door opened. I also spoke with Felipe (Contepomi, until then the coach of Pumas). He understood me and supported me.”
His rugby fitness was not ideal for sevens.
An untimely case of athletic pubalgia meant he never reached his prime. According to the team’s GPS monitoring, his best speed was only about 70 percent of what it had been.
Cracks and muscle strains derailed his season before corrective surgery in December finally provided a solution.
“I’ve always been in touch with Santi. Even though our top team is about to play the Odesur Games, which qualify for the Pan Am Games, I would only play a few minutes if he was on.”
“In the Ultimate Sevens I will have more action. Then I should rejoin the team and fight for a place in any of the three positions I can play.”
Scrumhalf, flyhalf and center are on his CV of 7s.
Watching Paris 2024 from a distance made him yearn for more, and LA28 is his ultimate dream.
“I remember saying ‘I want to be in the next one’. For that I have to have a really good season to stay in the squad. The competition in the team is huge and it constantly brings out the best in each of us.”
“This season in the HSBC SVNS will be key to securing an Olympic spot. After a rebuilding period, the team is ready again. It will be very competitive.”
After returning from Europe, his wedding will take place. After that, family life and rugby weeks will be the only focus for Bazan Velez.
Tick.
