HSBC SVNS – 4 The Love Of Sport http://4theloveofsport.co.uk Champions Of Women's Sport Wed, 24 Apr 2024 07:23:00 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.16 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cropped-4tlos-iconw-32x32.png HSBC SVNS – 4 The Love Of Sport http://4theloveofsport.co.uk 32 32 Pools drawn for HSBC SVNS 2024 league climax in Singapore http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2024/04/18/pools-drawn-for-hsbc-svns-2024-league-climax-in-singapore/ http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2024/04/18/pools-drawn-for-hsbc-svns-2024-league-climax-in-singapore/#respond Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:34:04 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=51180 Continue Reading →

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  • HSBC SVNS 2024 reaches its regular season climax at the Singapore National Stadium on 3-5 May following six thrilling rounds of rugby sevens action
  • The pool draws took place on Thursday, 18 April at Singapore Changi Airport
  • New Zealand and Australia are equal on points at the top of the women’s standings
  • Argentina men hold an eight-point advantage over Ireland, with both teams looking for their first ever SVNS league winners title
  • Visit svns.com for tickets

The pool draws for the seventh and final regular season round of HSBC SVNS 2024, to be played at Singapore National Stadium on 3-5 May, took place at the Singapore Changi Airport on Thursday, 18 April as excitement builds towards the highly anticipated event.

This year’s edition sees the tournament expand to three exhilarating days with the top 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams from around the world taking to the stage in what is sure to be a thrilling spectacle.

VIEW HSBC SVNS SINGAPORE POOLS >>

Men’s SVNS standings leaders Argentina have been drawn in a tough looking Pool A together with recent Hong Kong winners New Zealand, Australia and Canada. League title contenders Ireland are in Pool C with double Olympic champions Fiji, the USA and Great Britain. Pool B is led by France, who have reached the podium at the last three rounds, alongside South Africa, Spain and Samoa.

The women’s pool draw sees current standings leaders New Zealand in Pool A with Canada, Ireland – who won gold in Perth – and Spain. SVNS league title rivals Australia are drawn in Pool C together with Fiji, Great Britain and Brazil. Pool B sees the USA, who were finalists last time out in Hong Kong, alongside France, Japan and South Africa.

With less than 100 days until the Olympic Games Paris 2024 gets underway, the action in Singapore will be intense from start to finish with World Rugby’s revamped competition formula set to deliver fans even more excitement, jeopardy and entertainment.

Under the new HSBC SVNS 2024 model, seven regular-season events take place, resulting in regular season League Winners being crowned in Singapore before a Grand Final in Madrid which will determine the HSBC SVNS champions.

The top eight teams based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the seventh round in Singapore will secure their place in the ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May-2 June.

In perhaps the most competitive HSBC SVNS season ever, it is all to play for at both ends of the league table as New Zealand and Australia are equal on points at the top of the women’s standings, while Argentina’s men hold an eight point advantage over Ireland, with both teams looking for their first ever SVNS league winners title.

VIEW CURRENT SVNS 2024 STANDINGS >>

The trans-Tasman rivalry between New Zealand and Australia in the women’s SVNS is surely one of the hottest in world sport and whoever comes out on top in Singapore will ultimately lift the SVNS League Winners trophy, while France are a strong third.

The All Blacks Sevens will arrive in Singapore fresh from a famous victory in Hong Kong, and France’s men have reached the podium in the last three rounds after being inspired by global superstar Antoine Dupont to their first SVNS win in 19 years in Los Angeles.

At the other end of the table there will be an exciting battle to claim the eighth and final place in the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid, with USA men and Great Britain women hoping to secure their places and avoid dropping into the bottom four who will face promotion – relegation play-off’s in Madrid.

TICKETS >>

World Rugby Sevens General Manager Sam Pinder said: “It’s great to be here in Singapore for this all important pool draw. It has produced some really exciting match-ups and we can expect some very fiery, thrilling matches with everything to play for, especially with Argentina and Ireland battling for the men’s title in tough looking pools.

“This year we’ve also got the best 12 women’s teams also playing in Singapore, which is super exciting and super important. This is the first time that we’ve had combined tournaments across the entire SVNS and it’s been fantastic.

“These women athletes who play in the sevens circuit are absolutely phenomenal. Leading into the Olympics, it’s very competitive, and obviously, the New Zealand and Australian teams are leading from the top. That’s going to be one hell of a battle for the title in Singapore.”

Known for its outstanding hospitality, HSBC SVNS Singapore aims to deliver the ultimate immersive experience—a unique fusion of sport, entertainment, and culture against the stunning backdrop of Singapore where fans can indulge in a wide-array of tantalising cuisine, savour captivating music and engage in a host of exciting activities.

As the sun sets, the festivities continue at the iconic beach club, where renowned DJs will keep the energy high with a mix of dance floor fillers and classic anthems. The Sun Stage, nestled within the food market, will feature live music performances and interactive audience participation ensuring non-stop entertainment for all.

For those seeking a more premium and exclusive setting, the new next level hospitality experiences including The Sun Room feature premium food and drink, a full programme of fun and entertainment in private lounges and the best seats in the house to see all the non-stop action.

Tickets for HSBC SVNS Singapore 2024 are available from www.SVNS.com.

WHERE TO WATCH >>

You can watch the HSBC SVNS action wherever you are in the world, either via broadcaster partners or online on RugbyPass TV.

In a huge year for the sport, the HSBC SVNS Grand Final in Madrid will be followed by the Olympic Games where rugby sevens will have the honour of kicking off the Games in Paris on 24 July, two days ahead of the Opening Ceremony, with the competition finishing with the women’s gold medal match on 30 July.

With thanks to World Rugby

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Hong Kong Stadium set to host sell-out rugby sevens event http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2024/04/03/hong-kong-stadium-set-to-host-sell-out-rugby-sevens-event/ http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2024/04/03/hong-kong-stadium-set-to-host-sell-out-rugby-sevens-event/#respond Wed, 03 Apr 2024 10:33:30 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=50944 Continue Reading →

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  • Sixth round of HSBC SVNS 2024 takes place in Hong Kong China on 5-7 April
  • Full house 120,000 crowd expected for the three-day Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens featuring the world’s best 12 men’s and women’s teams
  • Australia lead the women’s standings from New Zealand, France, USA and Canada
  • Argentina top men’s standings by 20 points and could become SVNS 2024 League Winners this weekend
  • Australia’s most capped men’s test player Michael Hooper set to make his sevens debut
  • Play gets under way at 10:30 local time (GMT+8) on Friday, fans can watch the action live around the globe here
  • The famous Hong Kong Stadium atmosphere is set to welcome the world’s best men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams to the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens as the sixth and penultimate round of HSBC SVNS 2024 takes place on 5-7 April.

    A sell-out crowd of 120,000 fans is expected across the three-day spectacle and captains of the 12 men’s and women’s teams got in to the festival spirit on Wednesday by wearing fancy dress items for the traditional captains photo in front of the stadium’s iconic South stand.

    There is sure to be drama and fireworks on the pitch as well as Argentina have the chance to become men’s SVNS 2024 League Winners if they maintain their 20 point lead at the top of the standings, while Australia and New Zealand are locked in a thrilling battle for the women’s title ahead of the last regular season round in Singapore on 3-5 May.

    While French superstar Antoine Dupont is not in the French squad this time, fans will witness the highly anticipated sevens debut of Australia’s most capped men’s test player Michael Hooper.

    The pools for Hong Kong were drawn by Fijian sevens legend Waisale Serevi at the conclusion of the previous round in Los Angeles and produced some mouthwatering clashes.

    France face double Olympic champions Fiji in men’s Pool A, alongside Australia and Canada. Pool B sees current SVNS leaders Argentina together with LA finallists Great Britain, USA and reigning SVNS champions New Zealand. Ireland, Spain, Samoa and South Africa are in Pool C.

    The women’s draw sees second and third placed New Zealand and France together in Pool A along with Brazil and Great Britain. Current SVNS leaders Australia are in Pool B with South Africa, Ireland and Fiji. USA and Canada will renew their rivalry in Pool C alongside Japan and Spain.

    VIEW HONG KONG FIXTURES & POOLS >>

    The new look HSBC SVNS 2024 features seven regular season events – in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore – before the Grand Final in Madrid.

    The men’s and women’s team with the most cumulative points after seven rounds will claim the title of SVNS 2024 League Winners, while the top eight placed teams will earn their place in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final, where the men’s and women’s SVNS Champions will be crowned in Madrid on 31 May to 2 June.

    FUTURE HSBC SVNS EVENTS TICKETS >>

    Four teams – Argentina men, and Australia, New Zealand and France women – have already secured their spots in the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid and further teams are likely to confirm their places this weekend.

    VIEW CURRENT SVNS 2024 STANDINGS >>

    Following the fifth round in Los Angeles Argentina hold a 20 point lead in the men’s standings, having claimed three gold and one silver medals from the opening four rounds. Argentina have 90 points, ahead of Ireland on 70 and Fiji, who have enjoyed great success in Hong Kong over the years, in third on 64 points.

    Australia are top of the women’s standings with 90 points ahead of New Zealand in second on 86 points and France in third on 74 points. Australia got off to a flying start by winning the opening two rounds in Dubai and Cape Town, but New Zealand have come roaring back with victories at the last two rounds in Vancouver and Los Angeles to set up a thrilling climax to the women’s competition.

    HSBC SVNS 2024 has raised the bar with greater levels of excitement, jeopardy and competitiveness than ever before alongside a truly equal platform for both women’s and men’s competitions.

    With the added incentive of players competing for their places at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in July, the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens is set to be an exhilarating event.

    In addition to the HSBC SVNS event, hosts Hong Kong China will play in an all-Asian ‘Melrose Claymores’ triangular tournament which sees them take on China and Japan in the men’s event and China and Thailand in the women’s competition.

    VIEW HSBC SVNS 2024 CALENDAR >>

    The four lowest ranked men’s and women’s teams after the seventh round in Singapore will join the top four teams from the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 in a high stakes promotion and relegation tournament in Madrid, meaning every match and every point counts throughout the HSBC SVNS, which is proving to be more competitive than ever in 2024.

    The men’s relegation play-off positions are currently occupied by Canada, Spain, Great Britain and Samoa while the women’s teams currently in the bottom four are South Africa, Japan, Spain and Brazil.

    WORLD RUGBY HSBC SEVENS CHALLENGER STANDINGS >>

    Argentina men’s player Matias Osadczuk said: “The team has a big expectation for this tournament because we lost last time in Los Angeles so it is very important to come back this weekend and we have been training hard for this. Hong Kong is very special due to all the history and the great atmosphere so we hope to do our best.

    “We are not thinking about being champions, we are taking it match by match, focusing on the process. Our hope for this weekend is to be better than Los Angeles and to improve as a team.”

    New Zealand women’s captain Risi Pouri-Lane said: “We’ve been focusing on consistency and keeping building towards the Olympics at the end of the season. Obviously there’s a lot of history behind Hong Kong and for us coming off the back of two victories we just want to make sure we keep to our game plan, keep composed and just play our game.

    “It will be an awesome atmosphere this weekend and for the women’s game in general it’s becoming more competitive across the board which is awesome for the women’s game. We’re really looking forward to the weekend, it’s going to be a party here!”

    Australia men’s player Matt Gonzales said: “I’d say Hong Kong is the Mecca of the sevens circuit so it’s always awesome coming and playing here and great that we’re expecting a sell-out. The boys are pumped and this is a really crucial round for us so we’re excited to get out and put on a show for the fans.

    On Michael Hooper joining the squad he added: “I don’t think you can put in to words what he brings. His experience in rugby is something not many others have and having him come in is great, he’s very calm and very knowledgeable. But he’s also saying he’s a rookie and he’s having to learn how to play sevens. But for us it’s really exciting to have someone of his calibre in our team and just learn from him about how he goes about his processes.”

    VIEW SQUADS >>

    The action gets under way at 10:30 local time (GMT+8) on Friday, 09:30 on Saturday and 09:40 on Sunday, with the women’s and men’s finals at 18:13 and 18:53 respectively on Sunday.

    WHERE TO WATCH >>

    Fans can watch the HSBC SVNS action wherever you are in the world, either via broadcaster partners or online on RugbyPass TV.

    In keeping with rugby sevens tradition, fans are encouraged to wear their best and brightest fancy dress costumes and enter into the festival spirit that is the DNA of rugby sevens.

    With thanks to World Rugby

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    Australia and Argentina crowned HSBC SVNS Cape Town champions http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2023/12/11/australia-and-argentina-crowned-hsbc-svns-cape-town-champions/ Mon, 11 Dec 2023 10:38:05 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=49823 Continue Reading →

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  • Australia women and Argentina men win HSBC SVNS Cape Town titles
  • Australia hold-off huge French fight-back to claim back-to-back titles with 29-26 win in epic women’s final
  • Argentina produce dominant display to beat Australia 45-12 in men’s final
  • Bronze medals for Fiji men and New Zealand women
  • Australia and Argentina lead the men’s and women’s HSBC SVNS 2024 standings respectively after two rounds
  • HSBC SVNS 2024 continues in Perth, Australia on 26-28 January, tickets are available now from com
  • Australia claimed a first-ever Cape Town title, and their second HSBC SVNS 2024 victory in a row, with a gutsy 29-26 win over France in an epic women’s final to cue ecstatic celebrations.

    The men’s final was a more one-sided affair as Argentina produced a dominant display to overcome Australia by a 45-12 scoreline to secure their first title in Cape Town.

    Double Olympic champions Fiji secured the men’s bronze medal with a hard fought 14-7 win over Ireland while reigning HSBC SVNS title holders New Zealand had to settle for bronze with a 19-7 defeat of USA.

    READ FULL WOMEN’S REPORT >>

    READ FULL MEN’S REPORT >>

    The results in Cape Town see Argentina lead the men’s HSBC SVNS standings on 38 points, followed by South Africa and Fiji on 30 points. Australia lead the women’s standings with a perfect 40 points, ahead of France and New Zealand on 34 points each.

    VIEW STANDINGS >>

    Dubai champions Australia added the Cape Town crown to their sevens collection on Sunday – but they did it the hard way, after Maddison Levi was sent off for a high tackle at the end of the first-half.

    They had raced into a 22-0 lead in the first six minutes, before Les Bleues’ got on the scoreboard. But a double for Anne-Cecile Ciofani in the extended first half, and a third for Carla Neisen pulled France back to within three. Kaitlin Shave then put Australia out of sight, just as Levi had in Dubai the previous Sunday, despite Joanna Grisez’s late, late score.

    The victory means Australia head to the next round on home turf in Perth on 26-28 January looking for a hat-trick of titles.

    Winning captain Charlotte Caslick said: “It was a really gutsy effort, finishing the game with only six players. We played France last week and also had a red card. To do that two weeks in a row it was just so brave from the girls.

    “We love coming to Cape Town, so to win here and go back to back – we haven’t done that for a really long time – it’s set our season up really well.”

    Caslick and Isabelle Nasser had earlier both scored twice in the semi-final, as Australia eased into the final with a 33-7 win over USA; after making it 15 quarter-final wins in the last 16 appearances with their 29th victory in a row over Ireland, a 24-14 result.

    On an action-packed finals day in Cape Town, New Zealand’s Michaela Blyde became the second woman in sevens history to reach the 200 try mark, but a week after their 41-match winning streak was ended by Australia in Dubai, the Black Ferns were outperformed by France in the semi-finals at Cape Town Stadium.

    France held off a ferocious New Zealand fightback, even scoring a desperately needed try when reduced to six players, to win just a third sevens series semi-final in their history, as they beat the Black Ferns’ 24-12.

    Tries from Anne-Cecile Ciofani, Chloe Jacquet and Lili Dezou were enough to get them to the final four, despite a late try from Fiji’s Reapi Ulunisau, which dragged the scores back to 19-17.

    Argentina claimed the HSBC SVNS 2024 series crown in Cape Town with a clinical win over Australia, a week after losing to South Africa in the final in Dubai.

    It was a fitting end to a weekend in which Los Pumas Sevens veteran Gastón Revol played his 100th tournament, and German Schulz scored his 100th international sevens try as the South American squad laid down a marker with a first-ever win in South Africa.

    Argentina were just too good for Australia as they added Cape Town gold to the silver they won in Dubai a week previously.

    German Schulz opened the scoring with a long run-in, with Santiago Mare, Marcos Moneta and Matías Osadczuk also touching down in the first seven minutes as Australia struggled to keep pace with Los Pumas in the first period.

    Australia finally got on the scoreboard in the second half, as Nathan Lawson and Dietrich Roache cut the deficit. But player of the final Osadczuk’s second, his fourth in Cape Town, settled matters.

    Tomas Elizalde and captain Santiago Alvarez’s late scores were the icing on the cake, as they rounded off the tournament with a 45-12 win.

    “I love, too, the way they play,” Los Pumas Sevens coach and former player Santiago Gomez Cora said. “We said they’re crazy because you put all the passion – they know how to play, obviously – they are a team that feel the way that they play. They’re a little crazy to play in that way.

    “We’re very happy because we feel at home here at Cape Town. They support us, so thank you very much, everyone – hope to see you next time.”

    Los Pumas Sevens had reached the final for the ninth time since Seville 2022, with an organised win over 26-19 win over Ireland. The scoreline would have been more convincing had the Irish not run in two scores in the final minute, when the match was already lost.

    James Turner described Australia’s 24-7 semi-final win over Fiji to reach their first-ever sevens final in South Africa as “pretty special”.

    “We definitely had a slower start last week, and this week we really wanted to aim up,” he said.

    Earlier, Argentina’s Schulz had dived spectacularly under the posts to score his 100th sevens try as Los Pumas eased past day one’s surprise package Canada 33-0 in their last-eight match.

    VIEW ALL RESULTS >>

    There was a special moment on Sunday as three of the triumphant Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks, Damian Willemse, Deon Fourie and Manie Libbok, thrilled the Cape Town crowd during one of the breaks on an action-packed day, bringing the Webb Ellis Cup to show off to roaring fans at the DHL Stadium.

    “It’s an awesome vibe out there and it’s awesome sharing the trophy with the people once again and seeing all the joy on people’s faces,” said Libbok afterwards. “You never get tired of it and if I can bring a smile to a young child’s face, and give them hope and inspire them – and adults as well, that’s everything for me. That’s why we do it – to bring joy to the people and to our country.”

    Speaking about the incredible entertainment on offer at the HSBC SVNS Cape Town over the weekend, the fly-half added: “It’s nice to be here – with the DJing and the music, the rugby and entertainment on the field as well, and the skills on show. It’s such an awesome vibe. Sevens always produces an awesome experience, awesome tournament. It’s definitely something that I like to watch because of all the entertainment and all the things going on around the field.”

    The HSBC SVNS 2024, World Rugby’s revamped and rebranded global celebration of rugby sevens, is taking place across eight iconic destinations and is set to supercharge the sport’s global appeal.

    The new look HSBC SVNS 2024 features seven regular season events – in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore – before the Grand Final in Madrid. The top eight placed teams based on cumulative series points after seven events will compete in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final, where the women’s and men’s SVNS champions will be crowned.

    VIEW HSBC SVNS 2024 CALENDAR >>

    Fans can watch the HSBC SVNS action wherever you are in the world, either via broadcaster partners or online on Rugby Pass TV and it was a record-breaking weekend for live viewing hours on Rugby Pass TV, driven by SVNS viewing in UK, France and USA, surpassing the Rugby World Cup final weekend and demonstrating the growing appetite for rugby sevens around the globe.

    HSBC SVNS events are bringing the ultimate in immersive experiences, a unique festival of sport, entertainment, music, culture and cuisine alongside the world’s best men’s and women’s athletes set against the spectacular backdrops of some of the most stunning locations around the globe.

    WORLD RUGBY CHIEF EXECUTIVE ON SVNS >>

    Speaking from Cape Town, World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “We’re thrilled to have welcomed more than 80,000 people across the two days here in the magnificent Cape Town stadium, it’s great to be back here.

    “Really what you’re seeing is sevens being slightly reborn, absolutely with the sport at the heart of what we’re doing, but attracting fans in a different way, a slightly younger demographic by providing a lot more entertainment and a lot more fun around what we’re doing with rugby sevens.

    World Rugby’s Director of Experiential Greta Cooper explained: “Rugby will always remain at the heart of everything we do but we’re tapping into the passion points and what 18 to 34-year-olds really engage with. We’re doing that through food and drink, music and entertainment, and health and wellness.”

    “Sevens does a job for rugby that other parts of the sport don’t do,” added Gilpin. “It definitely entertains in a different way. All over the world it attracts new fans to rugby that 15s doesn’t necessarily do so redialing up that part of sevens that does that – not just great action on the field with some amazing athletes as we’ve seen, but all the things we can do around that to keep people entertained for a full weekend. That’s a really important role for Sevens and yes, we’re off to a great start but there’s lots more work to do.”

    Perth will host HSBC SVNS rugby sevens for the very first time and players and fans can look forward to three sun-soaked days and buzz-filled nights complete with live music, DJ’s, global food, cocktail bars, and much more on 26-28 January, 2024 at HBF Park. The pools for the third round of HSBC SVNS 2024 in Perth will be drawn in January and tickets are available now from only 35 dollars at svns.com

    With thanks to World Rugby

     

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    Australia and South Africa HSBC SVNS winners in Dubai http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/2023/12/03/australia-and-south-africa-hsbc-svns-winners-in-dubai/ Sun, 03 Dec 2023 18:28:43 +0000 http://4theloveofsport.co.uk/?p=49754 Continue Reading →

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  • Australia women and South Africa men claim famous victories at the opening round of HSBC SVNS 2024 in Dubai
  • Australia beat rivals New Zealand 26-19 in another epic women’s final to secure a record breaking fourth successive Emirates Dubai 7s title
  • South Africa overcame a spirited Argentina 12-7 to lift their fifth straight Emirates Dubai 7s trophy
  • France secure women’s bronze with a 26-5 victory over Canada, while New Zealand beat Fiji 17-12 to win the men’s bronze medal
  • The HSBC SVNS action continues in Cape Town on 9-10 December with tickets available from Ticketmaster.co.za
  • Australia women and South Africa men claimed the first titles of HSBC SVNS 2024 with victory in Dubai as World Rugby’s reinvigorated global celebration of rugby sevens began with a bang at The Sevens Stadium.

    South Africa’s Blitzboks overcame a spirited Argentina 12-7 to lift their fifth straight Emirates Dubai 7s trophy – equaling the record for successive titles at a single location. Although Argentina had to settle for silver it represented their best ever result in Dubai.

    The women’s final was another epic encounter between the top two teams in the world. In a replay of last years final, Australia overcame their arch rivals 26-19 to end New Zealand’s winning run on 41 matches, which spanned since their loss in the Dubai final last year.

    READ WOMEN’S COMPETITION REPORT >>

    Teagan Levi touched down either side of halftime as Australia ended New Zealand’s 41-match winning streak to claim their fourth consecutive title in Dubai, as the HSBC SVNS 2024 got off to an electric start.

    Not to be overshadowed by her younger sister, Maddison Levi broke her own tournament try record, her 12th try of the weekend in the 13th minute was the decisive one.

    The match kicked off at an astonishing speed – and did not let up. Bienne Tarita scored the opening try with just 23 seconds on the clock to set Australia on the road to the title in the 23rd final meeting between the two sides.

    But the Black Ferns Sevens made it difficult for the champions. Jorja Miller touched down twice in the first five minutes en route to a hat-trick in a losing cause, before Maddison Levi settled the tournament in the closing minutes.

    Australia’s captain Charlotte Caslick had only praise for the younger Levi. “She’s unbelievable. She’s had an amazing pre-season so we’re all just getting to see the hard work that she’s done this year.”

    And she explained the game plan for becoming the first team to beat New Zealand since last year’s final in Dubai: “We wanted to hold the ball as much as possible because we know when they touch it they’re dangerous. That was key for us – restarts and holding on to the ball.

    “We love coming to Dubai, we love the fans here, playing in front of you guys. It’s a great team and we’re so proud of them. We worked really hard for this, so it’s really special for us.”

    New Zealand’s passage to the final saw them beat Brazil 26-14 in the quarter-final before overcoming Canada 21-19 in a nail-biting finish the an exhilarating match.

    Australia began the day with a convincing 32-5 quarter-final win over USA before running out 21-14 winners over France in a high quality semi-final.

    Canada missed out on their first medal since winning silver in Sydney in 2020 as they were well beaten 26-5 by France who claimed the bronze medal and put in a strong performance throughout the weekend with the returning Anne-Cécile Ciofani contributing to building excitement ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris next July.

    READ MEN’S COMPETITION REPORT >>

    The men’s final was a tense affair as South Africa narrowly overcame Argentina 12-7. Impi Visser had already crossed for the Blitzboks when Shilton van Wyk, player of the final in 2022, went over in the fifth minute to take the score to 12-0.

    Argentina’s Matias Osadczuk cut the deficit to five points early in the second half, after Ryan Oosthuizen was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle.

    Rosko Specman came within inches of a spectacular score, but lost the ball – and ploughed into a steward – in the corner, as South Africa held off the Argentinian fightback.

    With the series heading to South Africa next week, their run to the title in Dubai could not have come at a better time. Fans will be hoping they can go back to back in Cape Town next weekend.

    South Africa’s acting head coach Philip Snyman hailed his squad’s, “amazing performances throughout the weekend”.

    “We said we wanted to leave everything on the field,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what happens with the result – we want to look each other in the eye and have smiles on our faces. Even with the yellow card tonight, they really played each other, they played for their jersey and they restored the pride in the Springbok Sevens jersey.”

    South Africa started the day strongly with a 24-7 quarter-final defeat of Australia, before overcoming Fiji 14-7 in an intense semi-final.

    Argentina overcame Samoa 21-14 in the quarter-final before narrowly beating New Zealand’s All Blacks Sevens 21-19 in a pulsating semi-final.

    New Zealand recovered from the disappointment of their semi-final defeat to take home the bronze medals with a 17-12 victory over Fiji.

    VIEW ALL RESULTS >>

    The pool draw for the next round of HSBC SVNS in Cape Town on 9-10 December took place on the pitch in Dubai following the end of play and produced some exciting match-ups as fans can now look ahead and get excited to welcoming world class rugby sevens back to the Mother City.

    Women’s Pool A: Australia, Fiji, Japan, Spain. Pool B: New Zealand, Ireland, Brazil, Great Britain. Pool C: France, Canada, USA, South Africa.

    Men’s Pool A: South Africa, Ireland, USA, Great Britain. Pool B: Argentina, Fiji, France, Spain. Pool C: New Zealand, Samoa, Australia, Canada.

    Fans are encouraged not to miss the two-day extravaganza with incredible food, fitness, non-stop music including live music acts from DJ Zinhle, Jack Parow, Sun El-Musician and more, alongside the world class rugby sevens action. Tickets are available from only R150 at Ticketmaster.co.za.

    The HSBC SVNS 2024 is set to supercharge the sport’s global appeal and is taking place across eight iconic destinations. The new look HSBC SVNS 2024 features seven regular season events – in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore – before the Grand Final in Madrid.

    VIEW HSBC SVNS 2024 CALENDAR >>

    The top eight placed teams based on cumulative series points after seven events will compete in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final, where the women’s and men’s champions will be crowned.

    Madrid will also play host to the high stakes relegation play-off competition where teams ranked ninth to 12th will join the top four teams from the World Rugby Sevens Challenger, with the top four placed teams securing their place on HSBC SVNS 2025.

    The reimagined competition model means fans can expect even more excitement, entertainment and nail-biting jeopardy. And with the clock counting down until rugby sevens kicks off the Olympic Games in Paris on 24 July 2024, the action will be hotter than ever on and off the pitch.

    In line with World Rugby’s commitment to grow the women’s game, all HSBC SVNS events will see men’s and women’s teams sharing the platform equally to showcase their incredible strength, speed and skill on the biggest stages around the world.

    HSBC SVNS events deliver the ultimate in immersive experiences, a unique festival of sport, entertainment, music, culture and cuisine alongside the world’s best men’s and women’s athletes set against the spectacular backdrops of some of the most stunning locations around the globe.

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