Preview: SVNS World Series - Cape Town
PREVIEW: Following a spectacular opening round in Dubai last weekend, Australia and Fiji lead the women’s and men’s HSBC SVNS standings after claiming gold in Dubai with victories over New Zealand and Spain respectively.
Stars of the recent Olympic Games in Paris will be showcasing their incredible speed, strength and skills at the Cape Town Stadium while South African fans will have the chance to cheer the Olympic bronze medal winning Blitzboks on home turf.
With 91 players across the 24 squads making their SVNS debuts in Dubai last weekend there are also many exciting fresh faces looking to make their mark at the pinnacle level of global rugby sevens.
Men’s Olympic champions France are looking to retain their SVNS Champions crown after they defeated SVNS league winners Argentina to claim the inaugural men’s title in 2024.
Meanwhile New Zealand’s women secured their second successive Olympic title in Paris and will be aiming to reclaim the SVNS Champions title they lost to Australia in 2024.
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The HSBC SVNS action kicks off at 09.00 local time (GMT+2) on both Saturday and Sunday with pool matches throughout day one.
The Cup semifinals begin at 13.12 on Sunday, and the event climaxes with the women’s gold medal Final at 18.35, followed by the men’s Final at 19.11 local time.
HSBC SVNS Cape Town sees the introduction of a new competition format featuring four pools or three teams with the pool winners proceeding directly to the semifinals, while teams finishing second in their pool will compete in the fifth to eighth place playoffs and teams finishing third in their pools play off for ninth to 12th positions.
The new format is based on player welfare considerations and has been introduced following consultation with teams and other stakeholders.
It will be implemented for the second rounds of ‘back-to-back’ events, in Cape Town and Singapore, which are played on the weekends immediately following the events in Dubai and Hong Kong respectively.
This competition format is optimal for a two-day event, which allows teams an extra day of recovery and preparation following the previous weekend’s event and subsequent travel.
More than ever it means every match counts from the first kick-off.
The pools for Cape Town were allocated based on rankings at the end of the Dubai tournament.
Men’s pool A see Dubai champions Fiji paired with Great Britain and Uruguay.
Spain are in pool B following their outstanding run to the Final – their first in SVNS history – in Dubai, together with Australia and recently promoted Kenya.
Pool C involves Argentina, hosts South Africa and Ireland. While pool D sees New Zealand matched with Olympic champions France and the USA.
Women’s pool A see Dubai winners Australia against Olympic silver medallists Canada and Brazil.
Olympic champions New Zealand are in pool B with Japan and China.
Pool C is an all European affair with France, Ireland and Spain.
Finally in pool D Great Britain take on the USA and Fiji.
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Australia women’s captain Isabella Nasser said: “We are super confident coming into Cape Town off the back of victory in Dubai where we performed really well but we also have lots of work-ons too so we’re really excited to keep the momentum going in to Cape Town and hopefully perform again.
“We love soaking in the energy in Cape Town and putting it back out on the field, so we try to give back to the crowd just as they give to us. For many of our girls it’s one of their favourite tournaments on the tour.”
Reflecting on their epic Final win over New Zealand in Dubai last weekend she added: “New Zealand are such an incredible team and great sportswomen both on and off the field so it’s always awesome to be playing in a final against them and to get the win was the cherry on top.”
South Africa men’s co-captain Zain Davids said: “We are honoured to play around the world in iconic cities and stadiums, but this will always be so special to us.
“It is not only having the opportunity to play in front of family and friends, but also that unique ‘gees’ [spirt] that a rugby crowd in Cape Town brings.
“It just feels different from any other stadium and tournament. We really owe our supporters a big one and that is what we intent to do.”
Following a successful inaugural year for World Rugby’s revamped and rebranded global celebration of rugby sevens, HSBC SVNS 2025 features seven events across seven months in seven iconic global destinations.
Six regular season events are being played in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Hong Kong and Singapore to decide the HSBC SVNS League Winners, before the HSBC SVNS World Championship at Galaxy Stadium in Los Angeles, which will host the 2028 Olympic Games rugby sevens competitions.
The top eight placed teams based on cumulative series points after six events in Singapore will compete in the ‘winner takes all’ World Championship, where the women’s and men’s SVNS Champions will be crowned.
Los Angeles will also play host to the high stakes promotion and relegation playoff competition where teams ranked ninth to 12th will join the top four teams from the World Rugby Sevens Challenger, in a battle to secure their places in the next HSBC SVNS.
The SVNS competition model means fans can expect maximum excitement, entertainment and nail-biting jeopardy on the pitch.
While HSBC SVNS events will continue to deliver entertainment, music, culture and cuisine alongside the world’s best men’s and women’s athletes set against the spectacular backdrops of some of the most stunning locations around the globe.
In a huge year for women’s rugby, World Rugby’s commitment to grow the women’s game is unwavering and all HSBC SVNS events will see men’s and women’s teams receiving equal participation fees and sharing the platform equally on the biggest stages around the world.
For the first time in history, there is an all-female panel of match officials for the women’s SVNS 2025.
Day One Schedule
(Kick-off is South Africa time – GMT + two hours)
Men:
France v USA (10.38)
Australia v Kenya (11.00)
Great Britain v Uruguay (11.22)
South Africa v Ireland (11.44)
New Zealand v USA (13.54)
Spain v Kenya (14.16)
Fiji v Uruguay (14.38)
Argentina v Ireland (15.00)
New Zealand v France (17.35)
Spain v Australia (17.57)
Fiji v Great Britain (18.19)
Argentina v South Africa (18.41)
Women:
USA v Fiji (09.00)
Ireland v Spain (09.22)
Japan v China (09.44)
Canada v Brazil (10.06)
Great Britain v Fiji (12.16)
France v Spain (12.38)
New Zealand v China (13.00)
Australia v Brazil (13.22)
Great Britain v USA (15.42)
France v Ireland (16.04)
New Zealand v Japan (16.26)
Australia v Canada (16.48)
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