Paulin Riva

Paulin Riva (born 20 April 1994) is a French rugby union player. He is captain of the France national rugby sevens team.

Early life From Auch, he started playing rugby union at the age of five with FC Auch. He joined the Pôle France and played a number of matches with France national under-20 rugby union team.

Career He played professional club rugby for Union Bordeaux Bègles. He later also played on loan for Soyaux-Angouleme. In 2017, he began playing for the France national rugby sevens team, making his debut on the world sevens circuit in Dubai.

He captained the French Rugby Sevens team to victory at the World Rugby SVNS Series event in Los Angeles in March 2024 and the 2024 Spain Sevens in Madrid in June 2024.

He was part of the Olympic Torch Relay in May 2024 in Gers in the region of Occitania. He was subsequently named as captain for the French Rugby Sevens team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In May 2025, he was named in the World Tour's Team of the Year following the conclusion of the 2024-25 SVNS.

Continuing with France for the 2025-26 SVNS, Riva captained France as they won the 2026 France Sevens in Bordeaux in June 2026, beating New Zealand 14-5 in the final.