New Zealand women and South Africa men were crowned HSBC SVNS 2025 champions after securing stirring victories at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles.
South Africa claimed their fifth men’s Series title, and first since 2021 by beating a valiant Spanish side 19-5 to bring down the curtain on the 2025 international rugby sevens season.
Selvyn Davids was named HSBC Player of the Match and scored the opening try from deep to break the deadlock. Spain’s captain Pol Pla brought his team to within two points with a fine try but Mfundo Ndhlovu extended South Africa’s advantage and Ricardo Duarttee scored in the dying seconds.
South Africa Head Coach Philip Snyman said: “The team never stopped believing. They played five phenomenal games and were unstoppable. This team can go places. I am very proud of them.”
Spain were ranked tenth in 2024 and have never won a Series event so silver medals represent impressive progress.
The women’s final featured Olympic gold medallists New Zealand and reigning SVNS champions Australia who have played out some epic encounters over this SVNS Series.
New Zealand added more silverware to their collection as they beat Australia for the fourth time in a row to win the World Championship
Already SVNS League winners, they proved too strong for a young but immensely talented Australia team. HSBC Player of the Match Jorja Miller scored a marvellous try to get her team going, picking up from her own 22 to score her 29th of the season and the Black Ferns Sevens went on to show their dominance with a 31-7 final score.
New Zealand captain Sarah Hirini said: “Man, that feels good. After the Olympic gold medal we wanted to show we are a great team and to us that was winning the League and winning the [World Championship] Series and we did it.”
New Zealand overcame SVNS league winners Argentina 38-17 to take men’s bronze, while hosts the USA were unable to replicate their Olympic bronze medal winning exploits on home soil as they were beaten 27-7 by Olympic silver medallists Canada in the women’s bronze medal match.
Beside the World Championship action, the HSBC SVNS Play Off competition saw the teams ranked ninth to twelfth in HSBC SVNS 2025 vying with the top four ranked teams from the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger for four qualification spots to HSBC SVNS Division two in 2026.
The pool winners secured their SVNS division two status automatically with Brazil and China women and USA and Uruguay men securing their spots thanks to a hat-trick of pool wins.
Meanwhile the teams who finished second and third in their pools faced a winner-takes all Play Off final match on Sunday for a place in SVNS division two.
Both Kenya’s teams were successful, with the men beating Canada 24-5 and the women overcoming South Africa 17-14, to delight their large contingent of fans inside the stadium.
Germany produced perhaps the outstanding performance to thrash Samoa 31-0 and claim the last remaining men’s spot, while Spain’s women saw off Argentina 28-0 to secure their place.
The unsuccessful Play Off teams will begin the 2026 season in their respective regional competitions from which they have the opportunity to qualify for a standalone SVNS division three event, where they can reach SVNS division two by finishing in the top two. From there teams will have the opportunity to progress all the way through to the three HSBC SVNS World Championships Series events in the same season.
World Rugby Chair Brett Robinson who was in attendance in Los Angeles said: “LA delivered a finale to savour in what has been a season to remember. The HSBC SVNS World Championship demonstrated sport at its enthralling, brilliant and emotional best with teams and fans experiencing the highs and lows of play-off rugby. Congratulations to our worthy champions New Zealand and South Africa, and to all the teams, match officials and event teams who have made this season so special.
“We now look ahead to a new era for Sevens and a new competition model that provides certainty and opportunity on the road to what promises to be a spectacular LA 2028 Olympic Games.”
Following an action-packed season, the superstars of sevens were celebrated as the HSBC SVNS Awards 2025 took place on the pitch at the end of the finals.
Argentina’s Luciano Gonzalez and New Zealand’s Jorja Miller named men’s and women’s HSBC SVNS Player of the Year, while 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.
Australia’s Maddison Levi finished as women’s top try scorer, the 23 year-old superstar scoring 54 tries in HSBC SVNS 2025, becoming the first woman to be top try-scorer in three consecutive seasons and the fastest woman to 200 career SVNS tries. She now sits third on the all-time leading try-scorer list behind New Zealand’s Michaela Brake on 287 and Portia Woodman-Wickcliffe with 256.
Argentina’s Marcos Moneta and Fiji’s Joji Nasova were joint top try scorer’s in the men’s series with 26 tries each. Nasova also finished as top points scorer with 158 points over the season.
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EOIN Morgan- an Irish-born cricketer doesn’t sing the national anthem before starting a game.
Mud Pie Man
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