PREVIEW: HSBC SVNS Series - Round Six
ROUND SIX PREVIEW: The slimmest of margins separates Fiji and South Africa at the top of the men’s table, while New Zealand and Australia will fight it out at the top of the women’s competition in the final round of the main HSBC SVNS Series in New York.
Spirits were high and could not be dampened at the captain’s photo at J Owen Grundy Park in the Big Apple against the backdrop of the famous skyline as the HSBC SVNS Series arrived in New York for the first time.
Teams will be all business when they take to the pitch at Sports Illustrated Stadium this weekend, where there is still plenty to be decided.
In the women’s competition, New Zealand extended their lead over Australia in the HSBC SVNS Series standings to six points last weekend in Vancouver, where they claimed their fourth tournament title in five events this season.
The two superpowers of women’s sevens have met in every Final on the calendar to date, and will kick off in New York as strong favourites to meet in the showpiece for a sixth time, with third-place USA looking to finish strongly in front of their home crowd.
USA’s Kristi Kirshe said rugby fans in New York could look forward to ‘a party’ when the HSBC SVNS kicks off this weekend.
“We’ve been trying to grow the game in America, so I think this is a really cool opportunity,” she said.
“We’re bringing out some of the best athletes in the world this weekend, and it’s exciting to get to play on home soil – you get that little extra momentum from the crowd, and we’re really excited.
“I think [fans] can expect a party – I mean, they’re electric games. It’s full contact, full sprint. It’s really an exciting time, and it’s a lot of fun.”
The preview continues below…
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South Africa is locked in an epic battle at the top of the men’s standings with Fiji, who hold the slimmest of advantages heading to the final round of the regular season as teams compete to be crowned HSBC SVNS Series 2026 Winners.
The BlitzBoks, who have won three times on the Series in Cape Town, Perth and Vancouver, are level on league points with the Pacific Islanders, who have two tournament wins of their own in Dubai and Singapore, and have finished in the top three in all five events on the HSBC SVNS to date since the opening round in the desert last December.
They’re separated by just two match points, a conversion across the five tournaments on the Series so far.
BlitzBok David Brits said the goals are the same for all the players heading into the deciding tournament.
Brits were hard at work preparing for the HSBC SVNS New York this week, again happy to do the donkey work instead of being the racehorse.
“The forwards really don’t mind doing the hard yards up front,” the 28-year-old explained.
“We have such talented backs, and we know that when we provide them with decent possession, they will make magic out wide.”
The BlitzBoks are also happy to have Brits around, it seems. The former Junior Springbok has been collecting gold medals along his journey and was on the winners’ podium in four of the last six tournaments they played.
He has won five tournament titles since making his debut in Perth in 2024, all of 14 tournaments ago.
So, onto the USA leg, where they won the HSBC SVNS World Championship last year, in Los Angeles, and according to Brits, the entire squad, and especially the forwards, are ready: “We know that every scrum and line-out we win, and every breakdown we contest successfully will give the ball to our backs and then the fun starts.
“I can honestly say all our forwards have the same mindset about doing the donkey work. So, it does not really matter who is on the field; we all have the same goals.”
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Brits, Ryan Oosthuizen and Impi Visser all scored some impressive tries in Vancouver as well.
“Yes, it is always nice to see the forwards getting tries. Impi scored two spectacular ones, and it was very nice to see that he still has it,” Brits recalled with a smile.
They will miss the injured Christie Grobbelaar, but Brits punted Jayden Nell, who arrived on Tuesday and had his first session with the squad already.
“Christie brings a lot of speed to the forwards, but Jayden is the same type of player, and I know he will do well,” said Brits.
“He has been training with us all this time, so he knows the ins and outs. As with Grant [de Jager], we just need to make sure he stays calm, and all will be good.”
The BlitzBoks’ objective for the weekend is clear: “We want to go back-to-back. I know Perth and Vancouver were successive, but we want to return home with back-to-back wins.
“I have not done it before, and a couple of other players too, so we are here to win, not to compete.”
The sides that finish top of the men’s and women’s standings heading into the three-tournament World Championship series, which kicks off in Hong Kong on April 17, will be exempt from relegation to HSBC SVNS 2 at the end of the year.
(Kick off is local time +4 hours GMT)
Sources: World Rugby & SA Rugby
