The stage is set for HSBC SVNS Cape Town on Saturday at DHL Stadium as the world’s best 12 men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams are ready to showcase their incredible talents on the pitch.
Meanwhile a huge entertainment line-up, including live music, mass- participation sports activities and food from around the globe will create a vibrant festival experience for fans to enjoy off the pitch as the reinvigorated HSBC SVNS aims to take the Olympic sport to the next level.
On Wednesday the captains enjoyed a taste of Cape Town at the Oranjezicht City Farm Market in the shadows of the famous stadium, which hosted Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022.
An exciting new era for rugby sevens began in Dubai on 2-3 December as the highly anticipated HSBC SVNS 2024 kicked off with South Africa men and Australia women taking victory in the opening round to lead the early standings.
The HSBC SVNS CPT action kicks off at 09:00 local time (GMT+2) on Saturday with the pool matches. Day two begins at 09:00 on Sunday with the quarter-finals and culminates with the women’s gold medal final at 18:43, followed by the men’s final at 19:23 local time. Tickets are available from R150 at Ticketmaster.
With the number of teams reduced from 16 to 12 in the men’s event this year the competition will be intense from start to finish.
South Africa’s hugely popular Blitzboks will play Ireland, USA and Great Britain in men’s Pool A. Last season’s runners-up Argentina face double Olympic champions Fiji alongside France and Spain in Pool B. Pool C sees reigning SVNS champions New Zealand take on Samoa, Australia and Canada.
South Africa men’s captain Selvyn Davids said: “We thought we had a tough pool in Dubai and how close it was indeed. Our ‘reward’ is yet another one this weekend and that is the beauty of this new format. Not only does every match count, the reality is that you could be defeated by any of the 12 teams if you are even slightly off your game.
“The Cape Town crowd has been a faithful one for us and it has been a while for them to celebrate a win. We have this opportunity now to give them another title. The Springboks showed the way in France, now we have a chance to make good as well.”
The competition format replicates the Olympic model and sees the top two teams from each pool, plus the best two third-placed teams qualify for the quarter-finals from where it is knockout rugby.
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 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 HSBC 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.
