It’s a big year for a format often seen as a sideshow. The HSBC Sevens World Series will henceforth be known as the SVNS Series, and while the disemvowelment of the competition name won’t get tongues wagging, the presence of a few big XV stars on Tour will!
Often perceived as a sideshow attraction, Rugby Sevens is set for a big year with the rebranding of the HSBC Sevens World Series – it will now be called the SVNS Series because, hey, when you want fast-paced rugby, you don’t want to be delayed by having two extra letters standing in your way – and Sevens once again appearing at the Olympics with Paris 2024 featuring the shorter format of Union.
While the rebranding effort hasn’t exactly got the eyes of the rugby world firmly focussed on the sport, some big-name code switches have with Antoine Dupont and Michael Hooper signing up for the series.
Could this be the season for Sevens/SVNS to come to the forefront of rugby conscientiousness? Darry Worthington gives three reasons why he thinks so below.
Big Name Moves
Antoine Dupont is the hottest property in world rugby at the minute. He’s also the game’s most marketable player behind Siya Kolisi. Seriously talented, good looking and an outspoken figure who has spoken out against racist groups and publications in France, Dupont is the perfect poster boy for rugby, although his thinly-veiled snipes at Ben O’Keefe following France’s quarter-final exit from RWC23 leave a bit of a sour taste.
While the likes of Sonny Bill-Williams and Samu Kerevi have all had a bash at Sevens with Olympic gold their motivator, Dupont – at this stage of his career – is a far bigger draw than the aforementioned Australiasian duo.
It’s not just Dupont who’s made the switch to the shorter format with former Wallabies captain Michal Hooper doing the same having been left out of Eddie Jones’ ill-fated Wallabies World Cup squad.
While not as big a name, Rosko Specman is also making a return to the Blitzboks set-up after a few years plying his trade in the 15-man game, while rumours persist that Arthur Vincent, loose forward Sekou Macalou and either of wings Damian Penaud or Louis Bielle-Biarrey will link up with the French 7s squad prior to the Paris Olympics.
There could well be a couple more big-name figures switching from the XVs game to 7s later in the season.
Antoine Dupont and Michael Hooper are both set to take part in the newly revamped sevens series, SVNS 🔥 #rugby #HSBCSVNS #rugby7s pic.twitter.com/qrNCZfCNw1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 16, 2023
New Format
There have been big changes to the way the circuit will run this year and they are all for the best. First, we’ll have the top tier division with the top 12 seeded teams from last year squaring off for the title.
Underneath them will be the Challenger League which features the best of the rest, who are looking to secure an Olympic berth as well promotion to the top tier from next season.
Another really nice dynamic to this year’s Series is that the men’s and women’s tournaments will be played at the same venues over the same weekends.
The women’s game is growing quickly and while New Zealand and Australia still dominate, there are a lot of up and coming teams such as China and Fiji who have caused some major upsets in the recent past.
Back to the men’s top tier now and an even more exciting addition to the Series with the final round of the 2023-24 season, the Madrid SVNS, being played as a knock-out round where the top eight teams following the Singapore SVNS will square off to see who takes home the title, while teams ranked 9-12 will compete with the top Challenger Series sides for promotion and relegation.
The new world of rugby sevens has arrived 🤩
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) July 18, 2023
Destination #HSBCSVNS 🔥https://t.co/WtZujCYoVB | @HSBC_Sport pic.twitter.com/QgK11vHY5A
Best of the Best Series Stops
There are eight stops on this season’s calendar and all of the venues that will host tournaments have belting atmospheres. While it’s always better to be in the stands for a live sporting event, Sevens is renowned for its atmospheric venues which translate to those watching via television broadcast.
The opener in Dubai is always a cracker, while the Cape Town Stadium also provides a real buzz with South Africa’s festive season getting underway. The New Zealand Sevens has been dropped from the calendar and rightly so as they were never able to provide the atmosphere other venues do.
Australasia will still host a tournament with the Perth SVNS taking place in January 2024. Perth has been starved of rugby for a few years but with the Western Force back in Super Rugby, interest in the sport has once again peaked.
Following Perth the sides head to Vancouver with the BC Place Stadium, which has become a real players’ favourite, hosting the fourth round of the season. Up next, it’s the Las Vegas which has an incredible atmosphere even if the commentary teams at this event are a bit off-putting.
Following this, the SVNS circuit heads for the game’s spiritual home, Hong Kong, which despite a number of expats leaving the country due to the political situation, still provides the best atmosphere as well as the best fancy dress.
There’s one more South East Asian stop with the teams heading to Singapore for one of the best-attended tournaments on the calendar.
The Series will come to a conclusion in Madrid. The Spanish capital has cracking weather at this time of year and with the national team likely to be playing for promotion from the Challenger Series at this event, the atmosphere should be electric.
Cape Town living it up with a spectacular weekend filled with the best tries, skills and thrills! 🕺🏽🎉🏉#CapeTown7s Let’s #FeelTheVibes pic.twitter.com/xnjWgBqojN
— HSBC SVNS Cape Town (@CapeTown7s) December 13, 2022
