The noise generated by the HSBC SVNS Cape Town crowd last year, where the Springbok Sevens secured a first home tournament victory since 2015, was the loudest Donavan Don has ever encountered, and the Blitzbok speedster said on Wednesday he cannot wait for an opportunity to experience that again.

Don and his teammates are hard at work with only a couple of weeks remaining before the new HSBC SVNS kicks off, with the DHL Stadium showpiece on 6 and 7 December the second tournament of the new season.

Tickets for the tournament, starting at R250, can be purchased from Ticketmaster.

A huge chunk of noise generated on the second day, was thanks to a moment of brilliance from Don in the 2024 final, with the SA playmaker slicing through the French defence to score the first of four tries as the Blitzboks romped away to a 26-12 win.

“That was an amazing feeling, as it was the first time I played in Cape Town and to be honest, the crowd was just something else” he said at the Varsity College campus in Newlands, where the Blitzboks attended a HSBC SVNS Cape Town ticket drive.

“We battled to hear our own teammates, such was the noice and encouragement from the crowd.”

Don was still a rookie a year ago, only playing in his fifth tournament in three seasons, but he has now kicked on into regular starter status, something the 23-year-old from Velddrif says is “a huge responsilibility”.

“To represent your country is massive and to play well for your supporters, especially such passionate ones as in Cape Town, is a huge responsibility, as you cannot disappoint them,” he said.

For the eager Don, the new season holds much excitement, following a very productive season for the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, where he finished the top try scorer in the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division, with nine tries in six matches.

“That turned out to be a great opportunity for me to go and play a bit of fifteens again,” said Don, who played for the NovaVit Griffons and the Junior Springboks in his earlier fifteens career.

“Things went really well for us at Boland and that experience made me realise again how lucky and privileged I am to be in a national set-up. Some of those Boland guys have day jobs and had to finish work first and then come and train.

“I was humbled by seeing such sacrifice and already relayed that to our squad in Stellenbosch. We simply cannot take anything for granted as the Springbok Sevens. Especially as we are the World Champions and will have a target on our backs.”

The Blitzboks are already well into their preseason set-up and Don is soaking it all in: “We will need to be at our best every tournament, but the guys realise that. And for those who will be lucky enough to be selected for the Cape Town tournament, the pressure and expectations will be real, but we would not want it anyway else.”

The Springbok Sevens will start the new season as defending HSBC SVNS World Champions, but for Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman, it will not be about protecting their title at all cost.

Rather, according to Snyman, another holistic approach can be expected from one of the country’s finest export products over many years, with the Blitzboks hoping to combine growth and building blocks again that could lead to more success and glory on a few new playing pitches across the globe.

The new season structure was confirmed recently, while World Rugby also announced that the world series will return to Cape Town, where the Blitzboks will defend their title at the DHL Stadium on 6 and 7 December.

“The new dates and venues for the 2026 circuit fits nicely in our original plans, so I am looking forward to the season,” said Snyman, adding that they are determined to win their home tournament again, like they did last season.

“We have two more training blocks before I will confirm the roster for the season. The fact that we are already working hard towards the season is a clear indication of our intentions. Cape Town remains the best tournament for us and doing well at home is very important objective to coaches and players alike.”

Following their tournament victory in Cape Town, the Blitzboks claimed bragging rights at last season’s HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles and are proudly wearing that belt as they prepare for the nine tournaments in the 2026 season that again promises to deliver action, drama and entertainment in spades, all provided by some of the finest athletes in the world.

There is a change in format with eight men’s and eight women’s team contesting the first six tournaments in what Snyman predicts will deliver some outstanding rugby.

“We have our eyes on the next Olympics, so a lot of what we are doing now is based on planning for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles,” said Snyman, who won Olympic bronze as a player (2016) and coach (2024).

“We are looking at another season where we will continue our pathway of combining some of our best junior players and emerging stars from the Varsity Cup with our experienced core of sevens standouts with the sole aim of growing our system into something we all can be proud of.

“What worked well for us in our pathway programme was the induction of Junior Springbok players as well as standouts from the FNB Varsity Cup, something we needed to do after our Academy programme closed, and it has worked well.

“Look at Gino Cupido, who is a double world champion, in sevens and U20, and we will again have the likes of Siyabonga Ndlozi and Joel Leotlela, who will step up this season, no doubt.”

Snyman also pointed out Rowan Malgas, who excelled playing FNB Varsity Cup, and Grant de Jager, with the Maties star playing himself into a professional contract after joining the squad on a trial basis.

“We are awaiting the return of some players who did duty in the Carling Currie Cup as well,” he said.

“There is a good relationship between us and those coaches and as we released players to play provincial rugby, we will call up some of them when they not in competition.”

Christie Grobbelaar, who was named in the Hollywoodbets Sharks squad for the Vodacom URC, will return to Stellenbosch on 1 November.

Argentina, Australia, Fiji, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and Spain will all try to topple the Blitzboks in Cape Town, while in the women's tournament Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain, Japan, New Zealand and USA will battle it out.

Tickets for the HSBC SVNS Cape Town are on sale already, from as little as R250 per person per day, and can be purchased from Ticketmaster.

2026 HSBC SVNS tournaments:

29-30 November: Dubai

6-7 December: Cape Town

31 January-1 February: Singapore

7-8 February: Australia (venue TBC)

7-8 March: Vancouver

14-15 March: USA (venue TBC)

17-19 April: Hong Kong

29-31 May: Valladolid

5-7 June: Bordeaux

Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman congratulated the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ squad for their effort and application as they claimed the Rugby Africa Sevens Cup in Port Louis on Sunday.

The South Africans won the Mauritius tournament, played at the Labourdonnais Sports Club over the weekend, with a 26-12 victory over Madagascar in the final.

The #Blitzboks 'A' side were crowned African champions in Mauritius on Sunday - more here: https://t.co/iyRsdj8g0O 🏆🇿🇦#PoweredByUnity pic.twitter.com/3G2u87nVEA

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) June 22, 2025

Earlier on Sunday, they beat Zimbabwe 19-12 in the semifinals, and defending champions Uganda 26-0 in the quarterfinals.

“This was a good effort, and I am happy with the way the squad applied themselves and executed their duties,” said Snyman.

“We had eight players who are uncapped at HSBC SVNS level and they all fitted into the system and the team as the tournament took shape. We wanted to give those players proper match time as it does take a tournament or three before you are ready for the world series and they responded well.

“The African teams are very physical which is always a tough challenge and then we encountered Madagascar – who play like Fiji with their offloads – in the final, so that was a valuable learning curve for the new players.

“There are other dynamics as well that they had to overcome – how to get going on day two with a sore body, how to plan and adapt for each opponent in the knock-out phases and then how to deliver your best effort in a final. Those are all things they have encountered and will be better because of it.”

Snyman said the tournament was a perfect way to finish off their season: “We finished strong and ticked our boxes here. This was a well-organised event and credit must go to Rugby Africa and the Mauritius Rugby Union for the way the tournament went. We could not have closed out our 2025 season in a better way, knowing that we got so much out of this event.”

Philip Snyman: “This team delivered an amazing performance over the weekend” - more here: https://t.co/DRxR1olulQ 🇿🇦#PoweredByUnity #Blitzboks #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/8NwYeqwQC1

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) May 5, 2025

Sebastiaan Jobb, one of the team’s co-captains, was equally proud of the effort and said it was a tough tournament.

“The hot conditions and physical approach by the other teams meant that we had to dig deep and apply ourselves and the guys did that really well and that is something everyone in the squad can be proud of,” said Jobb.

“The African teams have a very physical way they play sevens and our guys adapted well to that, something that will be needed when you progress to the world series. So well done to all of them.”

Mfundo Ndhlovu, who co-captained with Jobb, said the approach from management was spot on: “We came into this tournament as if it was part of the world series, with the same programme, detail and feedback and that was valuable for the new players, as they could get a proper understanding of what will be demanded of them once they play for the Blitzboks.

“They have a proper understanding now of what a week and for that matter, a weekend of sevens, are all about and well done to them for getting the details right,” Ndhlovu added.

SA TOO STRONG FOR MADAGASCAR

In the final against Madagascar, South Africa started well and executed their try-scoring opportunities, but two long-range tries by the Makis kept them in the game.

Jayden Nell opened the scoring after a good, angled run resulted in him breaking the line after two minutes and when Ricardo Duarttee converted, the lead was 7-0.

Ndhlovu stepped inside his man soon after to extend the lead.

Gideon van Wyk ran hard and from the resulting ruck, the SA co-captain scored.

Duarttee’s conversion handed them a 14-0 lead.

Madagascar came back with a lovely long-range try with several offloads getting the better of the SA defence, but the 14-point lead was restored from the restart as Van Wyk again ran well before setting Duarttee free to score and convert to make it 21-7 lead at the break.

Madagascar scored another long-range try that had the crowd on their feet early in the second half to bring them back into the contest, but Nell had the last say with the final try.

Jobb kicked ahead after a good run and regathered before offloading to Nell for the final nail in the coffin.

Earlier in the day, the SA side outplayed Uganda, the defending Rugby Africa Sevens champions, 26-0 in the quarterfinals.

Jobb scored three tries and later added a double in the semifinal against Zimbabwe, with a 19-12 win booking South Africa’s spot in the final.

Into the finals of @RugbyAfrique 7s. SA Sevens A to meet @RugbyMadagascar at 14h32 fot the #mauritius7s title. @FNBSA @PicknPay pic.twitter.com/qWTKvxhPPz

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) June 22, 2025

On the opening day, the SA side had a slow start, but once the combinations clicked, positive results followed.

They opened their Pool B fixtures with a 17-5 win over Nigeria, before two tries in quick succession by Ndhlovu broke Zambia's back in their 33-14 win.

Scores were tied at 14-14 at one stage, but the Boks pulled away after Ndhlovu's interventions.

Jobb scored three tries in the 31-0 win over Burkina Faso in the final pool match.

India launches a rugby sevens league this weekend in a bold bid to win fans and bolster dreams of the Olympics in a country where cricket is king.

The 34-match Rugby Premier League (RPL) will be staged for two weeks from Sunday in Mumbai and has attracted greats of the game such as the United States' try-scoring machine Perry Baker.

"Is there space for a sport outside of cricket in India? 100 per cent," Rugby India president Rahul Bose told AFP as he hopes to convert sports fans into following the fast-paced, short-form version of rugby union.

The RPL is run by GMR Sports, which owns a team in the cricket T20 behemoth that is the Indian Premier League (IPL).

It combines Indian rugby players in six franchise teams alongside 30 globally experienced teammates, including current World Rugby Sevens Series stars such as Australia's Maurice Longbottom and Fiji's Filipe Sauturaga.

Coaches include former USA mentor Mike Friday, New Zealand legends Tomasi Cama and DJ Forbes, and England great Ben Gollings.

Bose, a former India rugby international and successful Bollywood actor, has big dreams.

"An Indian (rugby) team getting into the Olympics, whether it's men or women, is inevitable," Bose said.

Bose believes it could happen within a decade.

And that could mean an India team taking part in a home 2036 Olympics, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared he wants to host.

"There's a lot of money," Bose said, adding that the budget of the Mumbai-based national rugby federation had grown more than 30-fold. "There's a lot of opportunity."

He is coy on precise funding, saying only that overseas stars in the RPL were being paid an "equitable" fee to what they receive in tournaments worldwide.

'DREAM COME TRUE'

India's overall record at the Olympics is poor, winning only 10 gold medals in its history.

Cricket offers an obvious chance to increase that tally when it returns at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but India is keen to be competitive in other sports.

Fiji scrum-half Terio Tamani, who will play for Hyderabad Heroes, believes rugby could offer an opportunity.

"They have facilities, they have money for them to develop," said Tamani, whose country won Olympic men's rugby gold in 2016, Fiji's first Olympic medal of any colour.

India captain Prince Khatri, also of Hyderabad, said training and playing with marquee stars he had previously seen only on television was "a dream come true".

"I'm learning a lot," he said. "This is just the beginning."

RPL says it has talent scouts going countrywide to draw youngsters into six regional training centres.

"That's the real gold dust," said ex-USA coach Friday, now training Kalinga Black Tigers.

"Because ultimately the league will happen for 14 days but it's about what happens after in the other 11 months."

Baker, a two-time World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, said the league will help fast-track local players.

"Having these top-calibre players around will help elevate them," the American said.

LONG HISTORY, NICHE SPORT

Kiran Kumar Grandhi, chairman of GMR Sports, said having "world class" rugby in India will foster grassroots development.

GMR has the experience.

Part of a New Delhi-based conglomerate spanning airports and highways, GMR owns the IPL's Delhi Capitals and franchises in India's popular Pro Kabaddi League and Ultimate Kho Kho League.

India is pushing for both of those tag-type sports to be included in the Olympics.

Rugby has a long history in India, dating back to 1871 during British rule.

That was when the glittering silver Calcutta Cup was created and it remains the oldest trophy contested between international rugby union teams, in this case England and Scotland.

But rugby has remained a niche sport.

The RPL's home at the 7 000-capacity Mumbai Football Arena is not even a dedicated rugby pitch.

But RPL organisers believe that, just as the IPL saw ratings surge with the T20 transformation of cricket, it can woo fans and sponsors with a version of rugby where matches are over in a fast-and-furious 22 minutes.

"The sport is just built for spectators and television," Bose said, adding he ambitiously hopes for 10 to 15 million people to tune in via broadcast giants Star Sports and JioStar.

India's Arpan Chhetri, who will play for Bengaluru Bravehearts, said players are focused on one ambition.

"Our target is to get into the Olympics," he said.

"We will keep going until we succeed."

The Irish Men's Sevens team will be disbanded at the end of the 2024/25 season as part of a significant shift in strategic priorities, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) said on Wednesday.

The announcement comes in the wake of the IRFU’s financial results released last November, which revealed an €18 million deficit for the 2023/24 season.

ℹ️ IRFU Statement on the Ireland Men's Sevens programme.#IrishRugby

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) May 14, 2025

IRFU's internal review also concluded that the men’s sevens programme does not serve as a meaningful development pathway for the 15-a-side game.

"While the decision to end the men’s sevens programme is a difficult one, it is necessary in order to ensure that our resources are focused on the areas that will have the greatest impact on the future of the game in Ireland," IRFU high performance director David Humphreys said in a statement.

The IRFU also confirmed that the women’s sevens programme will continue to operate as a progression route for the women’s 15s.

In a stunning development, the International Rugby Players Association confirmed that World Rugby had not consulted them, nor any players, before their controversial revamp of the World Sevens Series.

The news, announced just days before the season-ending World Championship in Los Angeles last week, caught most teams by surprise, with some arguing that promises made to teams regarding the promotion-relegation process were broken, and that teams were blindsided by the news that the governing body dropped on them.

The unhappiness was further compounded by the decision of the LA 7s organisers to play just the elite top eight competition on the main field, while the rest of the teams - those in the playoffs for promotion - were left on an outer field.

KENYAN FANS ON OUTER FIELDS

This decision had the effect that Kenya’s large supporter contingent were on the outer field, while the main stands were empty during pool play.

Still, while South Africa went on to win the World Championship with a stunning display in Los Angeles, the unhappiness persists among teams, who feel they were left out of the process and not consulted in the way the new system would work.

While World Rugby have said it is a “popular” system that is “sustainable”, there is a growing concern that the new World SVNS Series model will only entrench the richer nations and do little to help developing nations grow in the system.

Critics point out that the new Series - which only included the eight elite teams - who have six elite tournaments before four teams from the newly formed Division Two can join them in three World Championship Series events, will create two different tiers that the smaller nations will find it difficult to move upwards.

FRIDAY HAS HIS SAY

One of the most vocal critics has been former Kenyan and USA coach Mike Friday, who is one of the top coaches in the sport, who reacted to a video on Twitter this week where World Rugby CEO Alan Gilpin was praising the new format, with disdain.

“Breaking down this interview, whoever wrote this script is miss-informing (sic). Most importantly in all this, the players aren’t supportive of the changes, they are opposed to it and yet they were ignored,” Friday wrote on Twitter.

“This decision is not rugby driven at all, it’s all financially driven due to the 7’s leadership thinking they are an events company and failing miserably losing - Sustainable is achievable - assign the rights and/or revert back to the unions host model.

“The WSS (World Sevens Series) is NOT just about “best v best”…it’s about global opportunity and representation, it’s about jeopardy and resilience and the unpredictability of David v Goliath contests in a global festival coliseum.

“The PowerPoint pathway presentation the 7s leadership “dusted off” doesn’t inspire the fans, players sponsors - quite the opposite - Successful in suppressing the developing nations, widening the gap, providing less opportunity to make the jump and alienating fans.

“How about considering what was discussed in Madrid “shape the 7s game conference 12 months ago and learn from why the Paris Olympics was successful…OR WR could ignore, dust off a proposal that was rejected as unviable four years ago, play politics at ExCo and impose it on all.”

UNHAPPINESS

This unhappiness was compounded when the International Rugby Players Association - which represents the Players organisations from around the globe and has MyPlayers as a member, put out a statement on Monday confirming they were never consulted about the new Series model.

“International Rugby Players (IRP) has called for players to be at the heart of any future discussions on the future of the Sevens game,” the diplomatically worded statement said.

“The global representative body for professional rugby players believes that the only way to make the code successful is to have players at the centre of all detailed decision-making.

“During World Rugby’s recent development of a new tournament model, IRP can confirm that players were not involved in devising the model and were presented with its details at a late stage, immediately prior to its submission for ratification by the World Rugby Executive Board.

“Early exchanges took place, however discussions on the actual mechanics of the model did not include the players.”

IRP’s Chief Executive Omar Hassanein hinted that World Rugby missed an opportunity to include Players' views on the new series.

“Following the incredible success of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, there is a fantastic opportunity to grow Rugby Sevens rugby globally, one which we must all collectively embrace,” said Chief Executive, Omar Hassanein.

“Players understand the game better than anyone, and therefore must be involved at each step to ensure the best outcome. This should include all discussions, not only on tournament structuring and welfare matters, but also the commercial aspects of the game,” he added.

CALL TO HEAR PLAYERS’ VOICES

US Rugby Players Association President, Chris Mattina, said: “We want the series and Rugby Sevens to grow and believe that this is best done through collaborating with the players competing in these events. We hope that World Rugby hears the voices of the players and includes them in the process moving forward. for the good of the game.”

The new model, which is centred around the elite Division one, which comprises eight teams in six tournaments, a division two of eight teams and a division three, which comprises regional tournaments.

Four teams from Division two will join the eight teams for the three World Championship events after fighting it out in three Division two events.

Kenya, for instance, were expected to qualify for the main SVNS Series through the old playoff system - which would have put the teams 9-12 from the Series against the top four teams from the Challenger Series with the top four teams qualifying for next season’s SVNS Series.

But days before that tournament, the announcement was made, and Kenya have to now qualify through the three Division two tournaments, even though they played in the final in Singapore during this year’s Series.

Spain, who finished third and faced the Blitzboks in the World Championship final in Los Angeles, would not have made elite competition a year ago, where they finished 10th. The concern is that smaller nations who don’t play regularly against elite teams won’t be able to compete in future.

Last week World Rugby announced a massive overhaul of the HSBC World SVNS Series, and the way developing countries can qualify for it. But the big question remains - will all this tinkering make the series better and actually achieve the goals that World Rugby has set for it.

For one, it has caught the teams offside. Chatting to a few team officials from different teams it seems they all have one thing in common - they were all caught offside by the big announcement and some view it in a bad light, claiming they were lied to by World Rugby.

The governing body, which tends to make these unilateral decisions and then try and sort out the fallout afterwards, had, according to some teams, promised them the changes would only come into effect at the end of last season and that they could still qualify as a core team through the two-year-old process of winning the Playoff tournament, which was held in Los Angeles this past weekend.

But a few days before that tournament, World Rugby scrapped those plans and informed teams that a new system - unbelievably complex and one that fans are going to find hard to understand, would replace the system they revamped just two years ago.

CONFUSING NEW MODEL

According to the press release this is to “make it more cost-effective and more competitive”.

The new model now has 13 tournaments in an attempt - via the press release “to boost rugby sevens’ global reach ahead of the LA 2028 Olympics.”

But even that is misleading. Two years ago, World Rugby reduced the tournaments from 10 to eight, and now the elite level - because honestly, this is what it is, will feature eight top teams in six tournaments.

A second division will replace the Challenger Series and have three tournaments where previously there was two. And a third division will be created to give newer sides a chance to qualify for the second division.

But already there is unhappiness. Three World Championship tournaments of 12 teams will end the season, replacing one.

So in essence - the top eight teams will have their own league, a second division of three tournaments will deliver four more for the three World Championship tournaments to end the season.

Confused yet? Well the teams’ are and already there was unhappiness in Los Angeles at the Playoff tournament being played on an outer field and only the “elite 8” teams getting television time and being on the main field during the pool rounds.

The effect of this will still be seen, but it is clear that the changes were made because of the skyrocketing cost of the tournament, of taking 12 mens’ and 12 womens’ teams around the world, not to mention the ever-increasing World Rugby contingent.

SEVENS SERIES OPERATING AT A HUGE LOSS

World Rugby will not admit it, but reports say the Sevens - sorry SVNS Series - has lost $24-million in the past year, mainly on accommodation and travel costs. In addition World Rugby runs all the tournaments, meaning where in the past local organisers marketed it as they knew how, it now is run centrally from Dublin by one team.

Cape Town, for instance, was awarded the title of the best tournament on the circuit three years in a row, and then World Rugby took over the running, delivering a disastrous World Cup which the CT7s is only now recovering from.

It was a massive body blow for all the hard work put in by those at SA Rugby in making it such a success.

There are other concerns that haven’t been addressed - such as Sevens being dropped from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games due to costs and no indication if it will return.

There is no finality if there will ever be another Rugby World Cup either, with World Rugby rather trying to get teams to focus their players’ energies on the new Indian Premier League (yes, like the cricket one, only for Sevens) which launches later this year.

CREATED AN ELITE LEAGUE

What we are left with, for all intense purposes, is a six-tournament tour with eight elite teams. How does that help the smaller teams is anyone’s guess?

Spain were 10th last season and were sensational this last circuit, finishing in third above the Blitzboks. But would another team come through a three-tournament second division, and then within a year do the same in the new system? Most coaches say it is highly unlikely.

Kenya finished ninth but made the final of Singapore. In the new system they have to play in Division two, and have to do exceptionally well in the three World Championship tournaments to become a core circuit team again.

If anything it entrenches the top eight, while offering making the hill for smaller teams to climb a lot tougher.

After all, part of the romance of sevens was watching a smaller side - like Spain over the last two years, defeat the All Blacks. Or Uruguay for that matter.

Tunisia shocked the Blitzboks in the 2009 World Cup opening game and there are countless examples of these sort of shocks that would never happen in the fifteens game.

But now with eight elite teams in one division, playing week in and out against each other, it will be more difficult for smaller teams to compete.

LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

And that, by the law of unintended consequences, may have the opposite effect of what World Rugby wants to achieve.

World Rugby does make the point that they are investing more into the ecosystem, and in team development, with women’s teams being paid the same as men, and they believe the system will streamline the run into the Olympics - which is now the biggest prize in the sport.

But the move to save costs, streamline the process and separate the haves from the have nots may make for a more competitive elite competition, but it is unlikely to develop smaller nations into giant-killers with a hope for core participation.

And that is the real tragedy of an excellent concept of a World Series that has been corporatised into another overthinking marketing exercise.

Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman heaped praise on his squad after a commanding weekend of sevens rugby displayed at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles, with the Blitzboks finishing as the only undefeated side and crowned winners on Sunday.

Strong performances on day one at Dignity Health Sports Park saw pool victories over France, Great Britain and Argentina, and the Blitzboks outplayed New Zealand and Spain on the second day to lift the World Championship trophy for the first time.

Philip Snyman: “This team delivered an amazing performance over the weekend” - more here: https://t.co/DRxR1olulQ 🇿🇦#PoweredByUnity #Blitzboks #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/8NwYeqwQC1

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) May 5, 2025

“This team delivered an amazing performance over the weekend,” said Snyman.

“The players deserve so much credit for the way they played here in Los Angeles. We had some good parts and some bad parts to our season, but this weekend we got it all together and that is a very satisfying feeling.

“Any coach will tell you that your plan can only be as good as the buy-in from the players and then their execution thereof. This weekend it all come together.

“They really stuck to our plan, but also importantly, played the moments when it was there to exploit. They did some exceptional things on the field during this tournament and all the credit must go to them.

“Some of those moments of brilliance by the players in the final made this a special win.”

A word from #Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman: "All credit to the players" 🙌#PoweredByUnity #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/oPmMBzUXSI

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) May 5, 2025

Snyman said the weekend proved that the Blitzboks are back to where they should be: “This performance was proof of the potential of this squad. The players executed their roles so well, there was a common belief in what is possible and how to achieve that and the result is there for them to enjoy now.

“This performance finally completes the puzzle for us, and what a beautiful picture we got. This was the true colours of Springbok Sevens and I cannot be prouder of what it represented and displayed this weekend.”

The Blitzbok coach also reflected on the big moments of the weekend and said they “were up for it”.

“Our defence was great, the attack worked so well, while there was this hunger in each player to use this tournament to make up for the disappointing ones we had along the way,” he said.

Blitzbok captain Selvyn Davids said the effort during the weekend made him very proud.

“The guys left everything out there on the field, we gave it our all,” he said. “That is just an amazing feeling. We fought for each other, and we fought for the badge and knowing that we achieved that was already a win for me.”

The one lesson learned from this season is that consistency is key to everything, according to Davids: “The consistency we lacked during the year prevented us from reaching our full potential as a team. This tournament we managed to maintain the same level of excellence and that proved gold for us.”

Davids, who was named Player of the Final, insisted that the performance over the weekend was a complete team effort.

“The format of only eight teams was always going to be demanding, but we managed to stay in the moment in each game,” said Davids. “We had some dark spots during matches, but every time someone did something special to make that disappear. Everyone just focussed on the next job and got it done. I am so proud of this.”

Leading from the front 💪

Selvyn Davids is the Player of the Final presented by HSBC Sport #HSBCSVNS #HSBCSVNSLAX pic.twitter.com/XAmcKlsMGP

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) May 5, 2025

The squad will arrive back in South Africa on Tuesday.

The Springbok Sevens team gave themselves a true Hollywood ending as they won the HSBC World Championship in Los Angeles in the early hours of Monday morning, beating upstarts Spain 19-5 in the final.

While officially the Blitzboks are crowned “World Champions” - the irony of this in a country whose domestic sports carry the same tag - the glory from finishing the season on a high note will be enough for them.

Blitzboks are back 🇿🇦

South Africa win the #HSBCSVNS World Championship in LA 🏆#HSBCSVNSLAX pic.twitter.com/WGC0VOITs9

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) May 5, 2025

Argentina won the HSBC World SVNS Series league, with World Rugby deciding on a season ending format World Championship with the winners being given the tag, but the league is still seen as the tougher format to win.

Still, that shouldn’t take away from an incredible performance by the Blitzboks, who had to overcome Olympic champions France, Argentina and Great Britain in their pools and then put on a dominant day two display to down New Zealand 26-5 and then beat the most improved side on the tour, Spain, in the final.

PLAYED TO POTENTIAL

It was a weekend where everything went right, injuries stayed to a minimum and the Blitzboks played to some unbelievable potential to show just how good they were. For the first time this season Philip Snyman had a fully fit squad to choose from, and their preparations for the two day tournament were perfect.

Since Snyman’s arrival, the Blitzboks have restored pride in winning a bronze medal at the Olympics, being crowned champions in Cape Town in front of their home fans and now winning in Los Angeles.

Celebrations in LA 🥳#Blitzboks #PoweredByUnity #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/rHxa8HZ5pQ

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) May 5, 2025

This was their fifth tournament win in the USA, with three Las Vegas titles and the first LA Sevens title before this showing they clearly enjoy the tournament.

While some of the tournaments have disappointed - especially the loss in Hong Kong - their fourth spot in the overall standings and two tournament victories will be more than sufficient for SA Rugby to know they have done the right job in appointing Snyman fulltime and look forward to developing the side more in the coming year.

UNSTOPPABLE

Snyman was gushing after his team’s victory, understandably stating his pride for all to see.

"The team never stopped believing. They played five phenomenal games and were unstoppable. This team can go places. I am very proud of them,” he said at the end of the final.

A word from #Blitzboks coach Philip Snyman: "All credit to the players" 🙌#PoweredByUnity #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/oPmMBzUXSI

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) May 5, 2025

Their opponents Spain have been sensational this year, being ranked 10th last season and finished ahead of the Blitzboks in third during the regular season. While they haven’t won an event yet, their impressive progress makes them the rising stars of World Sevens.

In the showdown with their oldest rugby rivals New Zealand, the Blitzboks put on a dominating display from the opening whistle to ensure their spot in the final.

Their ability to pounce on every mistake was highlighted from the start as New Zealand’s first lineout produced a wayward pass, and Shilton van Wyk pounced, booting the ball forward and collecting for the first try.

Selvyn Davids manipulated the defence exceptionally well two minutes later, drawing two defenders before sending Quewin Nortje thundering down the far touchline to beat the last tackle and run around to score under the posts.

The Blitzboks further rocked New Zealand when Ronald Brown also drew the defence, putting Van Wyk down a short run on the opposite wing to go in at the corner, leaving the Blitzboks 21-0 up at the break.

NORTJE LOST HIS SHIRT

Nortje got his second at the start of the second half, but lost his shirt in the process. A cross kick from Brown was pinpoint, but Kiwi defender Frank Vaenuku got a hold of a bit of his shirt, held on as he twirled around and it ripped at the same time, but the slingshot result meant he could twist around to go over and score.

Vaenuku finally got the All Blacks on the board deep in the second half, giving them some hope, but this was never to be their day as the Blitzboks moved to the final.

In the final, despite some pressure at the beginning, it was their talisman Selvyn Davids who set the field on fire, scoring the opening try with dancing feet that has made him such an elusive attacker on the field.

Davids took the ball from a scrum in his own 22, stepped not one, but two defenders before pinning his ears back and motoring downfield to score untouched in an exceptional individual try.

Spain have not been the surprise element on this year’s SVNS Series for nothing, and their superstar Pol Pla - who has been nominated as one of the Sevens Players of the year - got just too much room on the near touchline and used his speed to beat the cover defence to run in a scintillating try.

NERVES HELD IN FINAL MINUTES

It would all come down to the final three minutes with just two points separating the two sides, and it was the Blitzboks’ nerves which held firm.

Mfundo Ndhlovu had the benefit of a bounced ball pass that held up the defence for a split second, and allowed him to shift gears as he moved past the defence on the outside to run in untouched and put the Blitzboks more than a score clear.

And it was Ricky Duarte who sealed the match with seconds to go by breaking through a tackle off some short passing to score a well-worked try and give the South Africans victory.

It ended the perfect weekend for the Blitzboks, and the perfect ending to a tough first season in charge for Snyman.

But none of that mattered as the champagne flowed. The Boks are “World Champions” again, and that is all that counts.

The Springbok Sevens side will face New Zealand in an epic semifinal late on Sunday evening after they went through their pool rounds unbeaten at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles in the early hours of Sunday morning.

After coming from behind to beat France 19-10, the Blitzboks beat Great Britain 12-7 in their second game, which was a real arm wrestle. They then turned up the heat to beat reigning World SVNS Series champions Argentina 29-21 in a pulsating game to win their pool and book their place in the semifinals.

That means they will face New Zealand, who beat Fiji in their first game, and Australia 21-19 in their third, but were shocked by Sevens sensations Spain 7-5 in their second pool game.Spain downed Sevens specialists Fiji in their final game to win the pool, and will face Argentina in the other semifinal.

The grit and determination of the win was apparent in all the Blitzboks games on the day, as they went 10-0 down against the Olympic Champions France before recovering to score 19 unanswered points.

Against Great Britain they were pinned in their own half for most of the first half, but used their kicking game well to get out and score two excellent tries that saw them take the narrow win.

The first came from Ronald Brown, revelling in his return to the Blitzbok side, as he was in the far corner touchline, launched what looked like an up and under over the defence and had the speed to follow up and collect to run 70 metres to score.

Shilton van Wyk scored the crucial second try on the wing and without space by grubbering past the defender and collecting to give the Blitzboks a 12-0 lead, which they defended late into the game.

The final game would determine the pool winners, and the Blitzboks have had epic tassels with Los Pumas this season, with the Argentine consistency winning them the last two tournaments and the SVNS League title.

Brown scored the first try just two minutes in, and it was clear that both sides were leaning heavily on attack. But two tries within a minute from Matteo Graziano and German Schulz gave Argentina the lead.

The Blitzboks levelled the scores at halftime with a late Ryan Oosthuizen try. The South Africans struck first in the second half after Van Wyk saw a gap and sent Mfundo Ndhlovu a metre short, with Van Wyk feeding a flying Siviwe Soyizwapi to get over the line with the next pass.

They then extended their lead with a quick tap penalty and a one-two pass between Van Wyk and Tristan Leyds, to put the former over for his second try. Selvyn Davids then made sure of the victory with a late individual try where he took the gap and carried the defender 20 metres to get close enough to score.

Santigo Zangara scored a late consolation try but this was a classic dominant performance by the Blitzboks.

They will face New Zealand at 10.46pm on Sunday night. The final will be at 2.41am Monday morning

The Women Boks tasted defeat after their opening win against Ireland, going down to China 26-12 in their second game. They face Argentina in their final Playoff Championship pool game at 7pm on Sunday night.

Kenya’s Men’s side bounced back to beat Portugal 26-14 after their opening defeat to Samoa in the Playoff Championship. They face USA in their final pool game at 8.28pm.

Kenya’s Women’s side disappointed by losing their second consecutive game after their opening loss to Spain. This time it was a 28-10 defeat at the hands of Brazil. They face Colombia in their final pool game at 7.44pm

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SEVENS

MENS SEMIFINALS

(all times CAT, GMT+2)

22h24 Spain v Argentina

22h46 South Africa v New Zealand

WOMEN’S SEMIFINALS

21h40 Australia v Canada

22h02 New Zealand v USA

PLAYOFF CHAMPIONSHIP

WOMEN BOKS FINAL POOL FIXTURE

19h00 v Argentina

KENYA FINAL POOL FIXTURES

MEN

20h28 v USA

WOMEN

19h44 v Colombia

A double-try whammy in the second half gave the Springbok Sevens a morale-boosting opening win at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles on Saturday night, beating Olympic Champions France 19-10 in their opening pool game.

The Blitzboks were rocked early on as France dominated the first half, going 10-0 up with two early tries, but they fought back to ensure that no more points were scored against them as they overwhelmed the French with some exceptional attacking play.

Varian Pasquet and Simon Desert both scored early and it looked as if France had control, but some hard work allowed Selvyn Davids to scoot through just before halftime for a crucial converted try to get them just three points behind at the break.

The second half was a perfect example of poise, control and attack as the Blitzboks probed and probed, and then struck when they had the chance.

After catching France behind their own line, the ball was moved wide to Shilton van Wyk, who went over in the corner and two minutes later, they struck again, this time as Ricardo Duarte popped a perfect pass to a flying Zain Davids to go through untouched.

The crucial conversion by Duarte made it a two-try game and France tried, but never came close.

GREAT BRITAIN AND ARGENTINA AWAIT

The Blitzboks now face Great Britain and Argentina in their last two pool games. The top two sides in the pool qualify for the semifinals.

Kenya suffered a 19-12 loss to Samoa in their opening Playoff Championship game, upping the ante if they want to qualify for the newly formed Second Division next season. Kenya must finish in the top four to do so.

In other early pool games, Australia beat Spain 15-10, New Zealand got one over Fiji with a narrow 17-12 wi,n while South Africa’s biggest opposition in their pool, top seeds Argentina survived a second-half comeback from Great Britain to win 33-26.

In the Women’s Playoff Championship, the Women Boks got off to a good start, beating Ireland 12-7 in their opening game. Kenya lost to Spain in their opening game 33-14.

 

The Springbok Sevens men's side can salvage a lot of pride from their up-and-down HSBC World SVNS Series season if they can put in a performance worthy of the jersey and win the final tournament in Los Angeles - the World Championship - that takes place this weekend.

There has been a lot said about the Blitzboks' season thus far - the highs of winning in Cape Town and the lows of Hong Kong, where the curse struck again to leave them missing out on the quarterfinals. While there has been progress since last season under Philip Snyman, he will be the first to admit they have not achieved all their goals this year

That being said, the final tournament - an eight-team shootout in the City of Angels - presents a perfect opportunity for the Blitzboks to stake a claim and close their season in style with a tournament win.

They have done well in US tournaments before, having rolled the dice and come out tops in Las Vegas when the event was there, winning in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017 and then when the tournament went to Los Angeles, they won a memorable first event there by beating Fiji 29-24 in extra time to claim the title.

Since then, their exploits in LA have been poor, and it was their form here two years ago that led to a coaching change and the return of Snyman as a caretaker coach as they slid in through the back door to qualify for the Olympics, where they eventually claimed bronze.

This weekend, however, there is no room for error in the two-day tournament as they have been pooled with newly crowned SVNS League champions Argentina, Olympic champions France and Great Britain.

The battles between the Blitzboks and the first two are well known and the margins are always slim when they face each other, while Great Britain caused the nightmare in Hong Kong with a big early victory thanks to a red card that the Blitzboks never recovered from.

So there is plenty to play for, and with just eight teams, and only two advancing to semifinals, the shootout format means the Blitzboks have to be at the top of their game from the start.

Snyman’s side has a few familiar faces back - including the team’s leading try-scorer Quewin Nortje and two-time World Series winners Ronald Brown and Mfundo Ndhlovu, who will all add to the campaign with their experience and talent.

And the pressure is on as well. A poor performance in LA will see the Blitzboks end with just one tournament victory and a bunch of thoughts on what could have been. If ever there was a time to define the season, this weekend is it.

SWEEPING CHANGES FOR WOMEN

World Rugby’s sweeping changes to the tournament formats for next season have dealt a blow to the Women's Sevens side’s hopes of scoring a place on the World Series circuit next season. The new format means the top eight that are in the World Championship race, will face off in the new shortened format, while the Women Boks still have something to play for.

The new format means the playoff that combines the bottom four sides from the World SVNS Series in a shootout with the top four sides from the Challenger series - where the Women Sevens team came from - will only be for qualification for the second-tier competition.

The teams that make the semifinals of this tournament automatically qualify for Division two, while the other four sides will have to fight it out for two places in their regional qualifying tournaments.

The news of the changes is also a massive blow to Kenya’s hopes of being in the top tier, as they finished ninth and therefore don’t qualify for next season’s Division one, despite being losing finalists in Singapore.

Kenya’s men’s and women’s teams face the same challenge as the Women’s Boks in trying to qualify for a Second Division spot.

Men’s Pools Los Angeles SVNS 2025

Pool A: Argentina, South Africa, France, GB

Pool B: Fiji, Spain, Australia, New Zealand

 

Pool A fixtures (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport)

South Africa

Saturday, 3 May

9:12pm: France

Sunday, 4 May

12:13am: Great Britain

3:46am: Argentina

 

Playoffs

Men’s Pools

Pool Play-Off A: Kenya, USA, Portugal, Samoa

Pool Play-Off B: Uruguay, Ireland, Germany, Canada

Kenya fixtures:

Saturday, 3 May

8:28pm: Samoa

11:51pm: Portugal

Sunday, 4 May

8:28pm: USA

 

Women’s Pools

Pool Play-Off A: Brazil, Spain, Kenya, Colombia

Pool Play-Off B: China, Ireland, South Africa, Argentina

 

Springbok Women’s fixtures

Saturday, 3 May

7:44pm: Ireland

11:07pm: China

Sunday, 4 May

7pm: Argentina

 

Kenya Women Fixtures:

Saturday, 3 May

9:12pm: Spain

Sunday, 4 May

12:35am: Brazil

7:44pm: Colombia

World Rugby will introduce a new sevens structure in 2026 which will have a three-division regular season and an increased number of events in a bid to make it cost-effective and more competitive, the sport's governing body said on Thursday.

The updated model will expand the calendar from 10 to 13 tournaments starting next year, with the primary aim of the overhaul being to boost rugby sevens' global reach ahead of the LA 2028 Olympics.

The season will conclude with three high-profile World Championship Series events, each featuring 12 men's and women's teams, to crown the annual world champions.

New format. Same unmissable action 🔥#HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/H5mHvqI8aY

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) May 1, 2025

Rugby sevens was played at the Olympics for the first time at the 2016 Rio Games, with both men's and women's contests.

World Rugby Sevens General Manager Sam Pinder said that £10 million will be invested annually to grow the game, with a large proportion allocated to team participation fees.

"While change can be difficult, this is an evolution that ultimately secures the sustainable advancement of a sport that has proven to be a hit at the Olympic Games, showcasing some of the most gifted athletes on the planet," he said.

The Springbok Sevens’ 2025 season had it all: a rare home win in Cape Town, a losing final appearance in Vancouver, a fourth-place finish in Perth and some less flattering results in Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Shilton van Wyk knows what the #Blitzboks need to do to finish the #HSBCSVNS season on a high in LA this weekend - more here: https://t.co/0RAXmxF5cd 🔭#PoweredByUnity pic.twitter.com/cOYH5omUUm

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) April 30, 2025

For Shilton van Wyk, who experienced the highs and lows in all of those tournaments, the final event of the season, this weekend’s HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles, will be good, but only if they find consistency in their effort and application.

“We know we can beat any team and we showed that, even in our most recent outing in Singapore, where we managed a win over Argentina, the series winners, despite not playing at our best,” said the speedster from Saldanha Bay on the West Coast.

“That was the frustrating part of it, when we let ourselves down in matches, but we have arrived here in Los Angeles determined to finish strong.”

The 25-year-old Van Wyk is used to winning away from home, with four Dubai wins testimony of that, and he predicts a strong finish by the Blitzboks at Dignity Health Sports Park.

“We had some targets at the start of the season and we managed to achieve a number of those,” he said.

“A top-four finish was one, compared to the seventh place from the previous season, while we wanted to play in semifinals at each of the events. We did so in three of the six, so that was not too bad, especially if you consider the win in Cape Town as well. But a win here in the USA will be even better reward.”

The Blitzbok midfielder had some strong tournaments, but said it was not a perfect season for him: “I wanted to play in the all the events, that was my the first objective, and I am pleased that the coaches had enough faith in me to do that.

“Having said that, it was not as much of what I wanted to get out of the season, but rather the team’s goals and how I could contribute towards that. The inconsistency at times showed that we were not always on song as a team, so that is something we are looking at improving this weekend.

“The focus this weekend is on us as a team. Each individual knows what to do in the team set-up and the focus will be to execute that role to perfection. That will be the first objective and if we achieve that, the rest will fall in place and we will be a dangerous opponent.”

Van Wyk compared the Dignity Health Sports Park pitch to that of DHL Stadium in Cape Town, something that suits the sevens game.

“We don't get the crowds we got in Cape Town, but there is a strong group of Blitzbok supporters that have attended over the last couple of years,” he said.

“We did not do great in recent years at the venue, but the support was awesome and we want to thank those spectators too with a strong performance on the weekend. They deserve a proper Blitzboks performance.”

Pool A fixtures (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport)

Saturday, 3 May

9:12pm: France

Sunday, 4 May

12:13am: Great Britain

3:46am: Argentina

The Springbok Sevens’ leading try-scorer for the season, Quewin Nortje, and two-time world series winners Ronald Brown and Mfundo Ndhlovu will boost the Blitzboks as they head out west to Los Angeles for the HSBC SVNS World Championship 2025.

The trio have been part of the squad during the regular season where South Africa finished fourth overall but missed recent tournaments due to injury and for Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman, their return boost the squad in various ways for next weekend’s tournament at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Nortje missed the tournament in Singapore, Brown’s last appearance was in the final of the Vancouver tournament and Ndhlovu was part of the all-conquering squad that claimed the South African leg of the series in Cape Town in December.

They replace Donavan Don, Dewald Human and Sebastiaan Jobb.

“Donavan and Dewald picked up injuries in Singapore and Sebastiaan is still suspended following his red card in Singapore,” Snyman explained.

“It is great to have those three back, as they all have game breaking abilities. Quewin’s pace and finishing ability out wide is very valuable, while Mfundo’s physicality in the midfield gives us more options on how we want to attack. He runs great short lines, which can set up rucks in the midfield, situations where Ronald’s pace off the mark can punish opponents.

"But individuals aside, it will be a team effort that will bring success or not.”

Every single Blitzbok in the squad has been part of at least one career HSBC SVNS tournament victory, something Snyman feels can be replicated in the USA.

“This format, with only eight teams competing in two pools, is challenging, but we have beaten France, Great Britain and Argentina before this year, so I am confident that we will progress to the semifinals on day two.”

The Blitzbok coach said he has some game plans ready for the pool matches: “We have a variety of combinations available, and I am looking at the best ones for each opponent.

“We had a poor match in our last outing against Great Britain, France remain a very competitive team and Argentina have just won the series, so it will be really challenging.

“Our record in the once-off tournaments has been good though and I know we leave Cape Town on Sunday well prepared and determined to finish the season with a performance that everyone can be proud of.”

Pool A fixtures (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport)

SATURDAY, 3 MAY

9:12pm: France

SUNDAY 4 MAY

12:13am: Great Britain

3:46am: Argentina

SPRINGBOK SEVENS SQUAD

#2 Ryan Oosthuizen - 55 tournaments, 230 points (46 tries)

#3 Impi Visser - 45 tournaments, 225 points (45 tries)

#4 Zain Davids - 52 tournaments, 235 points (47 tries)

#5 Ricardo Duarttee - 18 tournaments, 287 points (22 tries, 87 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

#7 Ronald Brown - 19 tournaments, 408 points (42 tries, 99 conversions)

#8 Selvyn Davids (captain) - 41 tournaments, 728 points (95 tries, 124 conversions, 1 penalty goal)

#11 Siviwe Soyizwapi - 59 tournaments, 790 points (158 tries)

#12 Shilton van Wyk - 26 tournaments, 240 points (48 tries)

#13 Mfundo Ndhlovu - 18 tournaments, 120 points (24 tries)

#14 Quewin Nortje - 11 tournaments, 145 points (29 tries)

#19 David Brits - 8 tournaments, 40 points (8 tries)

#21 Zander Reynders - 5 tournaments, 10 points (2 tries)

#24 Tristan Leyds - 10 tournaments, 130 points (16 tries, 25 conversions)

There is a cold snap in the air in Krakow – and with eight becoming the chosen four at the end of the final World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger tournament this weekend – also some desperation for some of the teams who converged on the Polish city since Monday.

For the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad though, there is a clear view of what needs to be achieved at the Henryk Reyman's Municipal Stadium on Friday and Saturday and how to reach those planned objectives, according to Mathrin Simmers.

“We have a clear understanding of what we want to get out of this tournament, and what is needed to get where we want to be,” said Simmers, the team’s captain, before their pool games against Poland, Czechia and Argentina.

“We need a top -our finish, which will guarantee entry into the HSBC SVNS qualification tournament in Los Angeles in May.

“Our reviews after the two tournaments in Cape Town painted a positive picture, but also valuable lessons, which we took to heart. On those two weekends, we repeated the same error in the two matches we lost and that was not to use and treasure possession.

"That resulted in us in having to defend for long periods and in the end, conceding tries that cost us the game.

“We worked on that and have our game plan ready for Poland, Czechia and Argentina on Friday. We have played and beaten both European sides in Cape Town, but that was then and this is now.

“We will face Poland at home in front of a good crowd and they will not only be fired up, but desperate as well. Both of our European opponents still have an outside chance to finish in the top four and this is their final opportunity to do so. We need to be ready.”

The local conditions and knowledge of the playing surface will also help the hosts and the neighbouring Czech side, but Simmers said they adapted well to the cold since arriving from a much warmer Stellenbosch.

“We had a really good session here and coach Renfred (Dazel) even joked that we need to move to a colder home base as it seemed that the snappy weather improved our session,” Simmers smiled.

They will be ready for all challenges, South Africa’s most capped women’s sevens player confirmed: “We have enough experience to weather the big moments and the two debutants have slotted in very nicely.

“Vianca (Boer) has been with us at Stellenbosch for a couple of months now and will do well in her debut, while Patience (Mokone) impressed us all with her ability to switch codes. She has really adapted well and I can’t wait to see her perform on the weekend.

“We are in a good position coming into the tournament, but that means nothing if we don’t rock up on day one with a solid showing against Poland and that will be our main focus heading to the tournament tomorrow.”

Standings (top eight):

1 Kenya – 40 points

2 South Africa – 34

3 Argentina – 30

4 Colombia – 30

5 Thailand – 22

6 Czechia – 22

7 Poland – 16

8 Uganda – 14

Pools:

A: Belgium, Colombia, Kenya, Thailand

B: Argentina, Czechia, Poland, South Africa

SA pool fixtures (all matches live on RugbyPass.tv)

Friday, 11 April

11:34am: Poland

3:04pm: Czechia

6:12pm: Argentina

The Springbok Women’s Sevens squad:

Rights Mkhari

Zandile Masuku

Kemisetso Baloyi

Kyla de Vries

Zintle Mpupha

Shiniqwa Lamprecht

Mathrin Simmers (captain)

Vianca Boer *

Nadine Roos

Ayanda Malinga

Maria Tshiremba

Fiji won the men's title at the World Sevens Series in Singapore with a 21-12 victory over surprise finalists Kenya on Sunday, while New Zealand lifted the women's trophy after defeating arch-rivals Australia.

GOATs only 🐐

Maddi Levi joined a truly elite club this weekend 🤩#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSSGP | @Aussie7s pic.twitter.com/cMYyDidnSc

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) April 6, 2025

The Black Ferns sealed first place in the women's regular season standings with a 31-7 victory in the final, while Argentina finished top of the men's table after finishing third.

 

Flying through to victory ✈️@fijirugby are victorious in Singapore 🇫🇯#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSSGP pic.twitter.com/y4eUickUbY

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) April 6, 2025

Fiji finished runners-up in the men's standings after overcoming Kenya with a strong second-half performance at the National Stadium.

 

Kenya reached a World Sevens Series final for the first time since 2018 with victories over Ireland, France and Spain in their earlier games. They set themselves up for another stunning result when Nygel Amaitsa gave them the lead on the final play of the first half.

However, Viwa Naduvalo ran clear for a pair of tries for Fiji after the interval and Rauto Vakadranu added another to seal their victory, before William Indakalu got a late consolation for the Kenyans.

Argentina took the bronze medal in Singapore after they recovered from a 14-point deficit to beat Spain 33-14 in the third-place play-off.

The Pumas topped the men's regular season standings on the back of three tournament wins this season in Perth, Vancouver and Hong Kong.

They will be joined in the sevens world championship in Los Angeles next month by Fiji, Spain, South Africa, France, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain, who completed the top eight in the season standings.

 

Fiji outmuscle Kenya to claim the title in Singapore 🏆🇫🇯#HSBCSVNSSGP | #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/2RtNode3ah

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 6, 2025

 

Despite their heroics in Singapore, Kenya finished in ninth place and will face Uruguay, Ireland, the United States and four teams from the challenger series in a promotion and relegation play-off to decide the 2025-26 sevens series line-up.

In the women's tournament, New Zealand and Australia met in a sevens series final for the fourth time in six tournaments this season with the Black Ferns producing a dominant performance to seal first place in the standings.

Tries by Michaela Brake and Risi Pouri-Lane put New Zealand in charge early on but Maddison Levi, who scored her landmark 200th try for Australia in sevens rugby earlier in the tournament, narrowed the deficit to 12-7 at halftime.

However, the Black Ferns proved too strong after the interval as Jazmin Felix-Hotham and Kelsey Teneti scored further tries before Brake added her second of the game to seal a comprehensive victory.

Canada secured third place in Singapore after a 21-5 victory over France in the play-offs.

Fiji and Great Britain confirmed their places in the top eight with their performances in Singapore and they will be joined in next month's world championship by New Zealand, Australia, France Canada, Japan and the United States.

Kenya’s Sevens team came as close as they could to a dream finish to the HSBC SVNS Series as they bowed out as runners-up, going down 21-12 to Fiji in the final of the Singapore Sevens.

 

We finish 2nd in 🇸🇬.
A huge improvement from Hong 🇭🇰 #Shujaa #SportpesaNaShujaa #MpesaPowersKenya7s #SafaricomRugby #CrownPaintsShujaa pic.twitter.com/ovHsyzlxAh

— Shujaa (@KenyaSevens) April 6, 2025

 

The Shujaa were exceptional as they completed the entire tournament without conceding a first half point, and led at the break, but three second half tries from Fiji sealed the game and gave them another famous victory.

But considering that Kenya only rejoined the circuit this season, after qualifying in Madrid last year, their rise has been spectacular and in the shortened tournament setup they used their chances well, beating Ireland and France in pool play, and then qualifying for the final with a win over Spain.

But Fiji’s mastery of the shortened game eventually was enough to stop them, even though Kenya would have won many hearts and minds with this performance.

After a first half that both sides tried to dominate, Kenya eventually took the lead just before the break with George Angeyo booting the ball downfield for Nygel Pettersen Amaitsa to chase and show some incredible speed to score under the nose of Fijian George Bose.

That let Kenya lead at the break, but the second half saw them fall off some tackles, with devastating results.

Vida Naduvalo was the first to score, taking a pass and beating two defenders to run in to the line, and added a second three minutes later to give his side the lead.

The crucial blow came from Rautu Vakudranu, who was in space to take a perfect pass from Sakiusa Siquila to run in and score.

Kenya tried their best to come back at Fiji, and thanks to a powerful run by William Indakalu, added a second try and gave themselves a chance.

But the post-try celebration ate up a few crucial seconds, forcing the conversion to be rushed and missed.

 

Fiji outmuscle Kenya to claim the title in Singapore 🏆🇫🇯#HSBCSVNSSGP | #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/2RtNode3ah

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 6, 2025

 

Fiji took the restart and simply put it over the sideline to take the trophy.

Despite Kenya’s performance, they will have to still play for their place at the season finale in Los Angeles next month.

The Shujaa finished ninth, meaning they will join the bottom three teams and the four top teams from the Challenger Series in a fight for places in next season’s SVNS Series.

The LA Sevens will end the season on 3 and 4 May.

The Springbok Sevens side produced their best performance of the Hong Kong Sevens in the last game, as they outclassed Australia 26-7 to claim the ninth place.

 

The #Blitzboks signed off in style in Singapore, showing character with two great victories on Sunday morning - more here: https://t.co/pzS5vmlwTv 👍#PoweredByUnity #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/0RmJCf1IMC

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) April 6, 2025

 

While disappointed at missing out of the semifinals in a format where only the pool winners qualified, the Blitzboks won every game outside of their opener, where a red card cost them the chance to compete for higher honours.

The red card to Sebastian Jobb was crucial, as it allowed Great Britain to exploit the numerical advantage for a 38-10 win in the opening match. While the Blitzboks ended Argentina’s 15 match unbeaten run with a pulsating 26-24 win in their only other pool match, it meant they ended third in a tight group and only could play for ninth spot.

They won their ninth place semifinal 14-12 against the USA earlier on Sunday and then produced a powerful performance to beat Australia, who were the bronze medalists in Hong Kong last weekend.

Two tries from Tristan Leyds got the Blitzboks off to a great start, while Siviwe Soyizwapi added a third shortly after returning from a yellow card. Selvyn Davids added the fourth in a tight second half.

Kenya will contest the Cup final for the first time this season after beating Spain 12-5 in their semifinal. The Shujaa will take on Fiji at 1.41pm after sweeping aside France and Ireland in pool play.

 

Kenya set up a #HSBCSVNSSGP final with Fiji you don't want to miss 🇰🇪🇫🇯

Watch it LIVE on SS Rugby and SS Rugby Africa at 13:41 (CAT) 🌍📺#HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/is0eaArIYj

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 6, 2025

 

The Springbok Sevens will have the chance to play for ninth spot at the Singapore Sevens as a costly red card on day one killed off any chance of bettering their disappointing performance in Hong Kong.

 

The #Blitzboks will face Australia in the ninth-place play-off at 9h40 after edging USA by 14-12 in their semifinal in Singapore, with Reynders and Duarttee scoring SA’s tries 👊#PoweredByUnity #HSBCSVNS pic.twitter.com/YFnwIzP6gn

— Springbok Sevens (@Blitzboks) April 6, 2025

 

The tournament format at the Singapore Sevens allows for no room for error, so while the Blitzboks did beat defending HSBC SVNS Series champions Argentina 26-24 in their second game of the day, ending a 15 game winning streak for Los Pumas, it wasn’t enough to see them into the top eight.

Only the pool winners qualify for the Cup semifinals, and the Blitzboks loss against Great Britain - mainly because of an early red card to Sebastian Jobb - left them in third spot, even though all three sides recorded one win and one loss. Argentina and Great Britain had an extra bonus point to finish ahead of the Blitzboks, who were forced to play for ninth spot.

On Sunday morning, the Blitzboks held out to defeat a tough USA side, who came back at them after it seemed the Blitzboks were controlling the game, winning 14-12 at the end.

Tries by Zander Reynders - the hero of the Argentina win - and Ricardo Duartee secured the victory.

They will now face Australia at 9.40am for the ninth spot.

Kenya will have a chance of winning their first trophy after winning their pool and qualifying for the semifinals of the tournament. Kenya will face Spain in the one semifinal with Argentina taking on Fiji in the other. The semis kick off at 8.34am

 

Unmissable semifinals coming your way on Sunday 🔜#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSSGP pic.twitter.com/KLTikSpZeJ

— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) April 5, 2025