PREVIEW: HSBC SVNS World Championship Men's - Hong Kong
MEN’S SVNS SPOTLIGHT: Half a century since the tournament’s inception in 1976, Hong Kong will add another incredible chapter to the international rugby sevens history.
This year’s edition marks not only a golden anniversary but the start of a three-tournament World Championship race that will crown the sport’s ultimate champions in 2026.
The historic tournament has transitioned from its original home at Hong Kong Stadium to the state-of-the-art Kai Tak Stadium, ushering in a new chapter for sevens in Hong Kong while honouring the legendary atmosphere that has made the South Stand famous worldwide.
South Africa’s men arrive as the newly crowned HSBC SVNS Series winners following their triumph in New York and will be looking to carry that momentum into the World Championship.
However, according to BlitzBok captain Impi Visser, they now need to up the ante even more.
Visser, who played in his 50th world series tournament in the USA, said their mindset for Friday’s HSBC SVNS World Championship opener at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park will be centred around their search for the perfect game, something he feels, they have not achieved during the recently completed series, despite winning four of the six tournaments.
“Yes, we are not quite there yet, especially on attack, where we can be much better than what we were in our last tournament in New York,” said the 30-year-old during the customary captain’s photo before each tournament.
“There our defence was outstanding, our attack not so much.”
The New York tournament is fresh in Visser’s mind, not only because he celebrated his 50th with a win, but also because of a short turnaround to the next phase, the three World Championship tournaments in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux.
“We had a short time to prepare at home as we travelled to Hong Kong a bit earlier than usual, but our focus remains the same,” said Visser.
“We believe we are the best team on the circuit and as such, we want to prove that by winning this weekend. Being the top ranked team will put a target on our backs, but that is fine. We want to be challenged, but mostly by ourselves.
“Our focus is on what we want to achieve, starting with the match against Uruguay.”
The South Americans are amongst the four teams from HSBC SVNS 2 that qualified for the World Championship and the BlitzBoks had a taste of that level of competition with training matches against USA and Germany, who also came via the same route.
“We all start at zero, so you underestimate any other team at your own peril,” said Visser.
“Twelve teams come into the same tournament hoping to achieve the same goal and that is to win it. So, we will approach all our opponents with that respect.”
The status of the Hong Kong event also demands your best effort, according to Visser.
“Many great names in the game have played and competed here. In a way, this is the home of sevens and where it all started. Just to be part of this is special, to finally finish victorious will be even more so.”
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Fixtures:
(Kick-off is local time: GMT+8)
Friday, April 17
Day One:
Argentina v Spain (11.16)
South Africa v Uruguay (11.39)
France v Great Britain (12.48)
Fiji v Germany (13.11)
Argentina v Uruguay (14.23)
South Africa v Spain (14.49)
France v Germany (15.58)
Fiji v Great Britain (16.21)
New Zealand v USA (17.30)
Australia v Kenya (17.56)
*Hong Kong China v China (19.38)
New Zealand v Kenya (20.47)
Australia v USA (21.10)
Saturday, April 18
Day Two
Great Britain v Germany (10.16)
Fiji v France (10.39)
Spain v Uruguay (11.50)
South Africa v Argentina (12.13)
USA v Kenya (13.24)
Australia v New Zealand (13.47)
*Hong Kong China v Japan (15.16)
Play-offs: TBC
Sunday, April 19
Day Three
Finals: TBC
*Additional reporting: SA Rugby and World Rugby
