Argentina’s Luciano González and New Zealand’s Jorja Miller were crowned men’s and women’s HSBC SVNS Player of the Year 2025 respectively.
Following breakthrough season’s France’s Enahemo Artaud and USA’s Nia Toliver claimed the Rookie of the Year awards. Artaud follow’s compatriot Anton Dupont who won the accolade in 2024 prior to leading France to Olympic gold on home soil in Paris.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin commented on the award winners: “Tonight, we honour the stars who have shone brightly throughout a thrilling, brilliant HSBC SVNS season that has seen new teams emerge as contenders, new stars wow fans and moments of magic that will live long in the memory.
“Congratulations to the winners. With outstanding athleticism, sublime skill and scintillating speed, all our nominees and winners continue to demonstrate why Sevens is a hit at the Olympics.
“The bond between our Sevens stars and fans is special and therefore it is fitting that these awards could take place in front of them in the venue that will host Rugby Sevens at the LA 2028 Olympic Games.”
HSBC SVNS Men’s Player of the Year in partnership with HSBC
Luciano Gonzalez – Argentina
Luciano Gonzalez continued to deliver standout performances across the series including achieving an impressive 150th try in Vancouver. At 28 years old, the Argentine powerhouse continues to be a central figure in the team’s success across the series sitting third for line breaks. Gonzalez has contributed more offloads, tackles, and steals than any other Argentine and has been named Player of the Final in three of his last nine HSBC SVNS tournaments.
Gonzalez commented after his receiving his award: “I am really grateful for the award and I’m so happy, I really don’t have the words to describe it right now. The season was amazing and I’m really proud of the team and what we’ve achieved.”
Jorja Miller – New Zealand
The 21-year-old New Zealand sensation, has been a true phenomenon on the circuit. A key force behind the Black Ferns Sevens’ consistent success, medaling at every leg of the series and cementing their series win in Singapore. This is Miller’s second nomination for the category having also been nominated in 2024, a year that also saw her receive New Zealand Rugby’s highest individual honour, the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial Player of the Year at the ASB Rugby Awards. Miller shows no sign of slowing down in 2025 as she is set to switch to 15s with her sights set on the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Commenting on the news Miller said: “Its pretty surreal to be honest. Obviously it’s hard accepting an individual award in a team game but credit to the girls we’ve had an awesome season and I’m already excited for the next one.”
HSBC SVNS Men’s Rookie of the Year
Enahemo Artaud – France
Dynamic blindside flanker, Artaud made his first appearances for France in Dubai, quickly showcasing his athleticism and composure. In just his second tournament in Cape Town, he played a pivotal role in France’s dramatic semi-final victory over Fiji, nailing a difficult conversion from out wide in the final moments to seal the win. His early performances went on to mark him as a rising force in the French sevens setup.
Following the announcement Artaud added: “I feel really incredible and I still can’t believe it! When you are new here you have to play against very experienced players, so to be rookie of the year is a very amazing.”
HSBC SVNS Women’s Rookie of the Year
Nia Toliver – USA
Toliver started as she meant to go on, showcasing her power and blistering pace. She made her SVNS debut in Dubai, scoring a try in USA’s opening match against Great Britain and finishing the tournament with six tries, ranking among the top scorers. Toliver truly made her mark in Cape Town, driving the Eagles to a thrilling victory over Australia to reach the final against New Zealand. Across her first two tournaments, she racked up an incredible 13 tries, announcing herself as a major force on the series.
Toliver commented on her accolade: “Its an amazing feeling, especially getting the trophy in front of my friends and family, it means the world to me. It’s been a season of highs and low but to end it on a high, we’re proud of that.”
SVNS Men’s Top Try Scorer
For the first time since 2003-04, the men’s top try scorer honours were shared with Joji Nasova and Marcos Moneta both finishing the SVNS series with 26 tries each.
Joji Nasova – Fiji
With 26 tries, Joji Nasova is only the fourth Fijian to earn the top try-scoring honours in a single series after Vilimoni Delasau in 1999-2000, Nasoni Roko in 2002-03 and Samisoni Viriviri in 2013-14. Since making his debut in Hong Kong last season, the 24-year-old continues to make his mark including scoring an all-important two tries in Fiji’s 43-21 semi-final victory over Argentina, propelling the team to their first series title in 22 tournaments. Nasova also finished as top point scorer with 158 – the first Fijian to claim this season honour since Napoli Bolaca in 2020.
Marcos Moneta – Argentina
25-year-old Marcos Moneta reaffirmed his status as Argentina’s wonder boy of rugby sevens with a standout campaign having also scooped the Player of Year accolade in 2021. Returning from injury after securing his place in the Paris 2024 Olympics, Moneta wasted no time reclaiming top form. Known for his blistering speed, Moneta was a constant threat, combining agility and finishing prowess to devastating effect with 26 tries across the series. His return added a dynamic edge to Argentina’s attack, playing a stand-out role in their title-winning season.
SVNS Women’s Top Try Scorer
Madi Levi – Australia
Levi continued to redefine greatness on the sevens stage after scooping the top accolade in 2024. She is the first female player to be top try-scorer in 3 consecutive seasons and the first to also score more than 50 tries in 3-straight seasons.
Having overcome a thumb injury in Perth, Levi went on to make history in Singapore by becoming the first Australian to surpass 200 career tries, making her the all-time leading try-scorer for her country. Impressively, Levi also scored over a third of Australia’s tries across the whole season in 2024/25.
HSBC SVNS Men’s Try of the Year
Marcos Moneta – Argentina v Australia (Hong Kong)
HSBC SVNS Women’s Try of the Year
Minako Taniyama – Japan v USA (Vancouver)
HSBC SVNS Women’s Dream Team of the Year in Partnership with HSBC
Michaela Brake (Australia), Thalia Costa (Brazil), Marin Kajiki (Japan), Maddiaon Levi (Australia), Korja Miller (Australia), Isabella Nasser (Australia), Risi Pouri-Lane (Australia),
HSBC SVNS Men’s Dream Team of the Year in Partnership with HSBC
Harry Glover (UK), Luciano Gonzalez (Argentina), Marcos Moneta (Argentina), Manu Morena (Spain), Pol PLa (Spain), Joji Nasova (Fiji), Paulin Riva (France)
SVNS Women’s Fair Play Award
Japan
SVNS Men’s Fair Play Award
South Africa
The awards bring down the curtain on another captivating season of HSBC SVNS which has seen some of the greatest athletes on the planet entertain and enthrall fans across the world with their exploits on the pitch, and with their vibrant personalities engaging viewers off it.
Commandx
Sport Trivia: What is the sound that traditionally starts the Comrades Marathon? Answer: The sound of a cock crowing. Prior to 1948, a regular starter\’s gun was used but then a new tradition was started when the race official at the time, Max Trimborn, loudly imitated a cock\’s crow. This tradition has been continued with a recording of Trimborn being used to start the race.
Bourbon Mirage
The first Test cricket captains for the English team were James Lillywhite and David Gregory. Of the two, Lillywhite was the first to play. He died in 1929, becoming the last player of the very first Test match to pass away.