Hong Kong Sevens: Women's Preview

Alex Ho / Zach Franzen / World Rugby

As rugby returns to the famous Hong Kong Sevens the stakes are higher than ever. Now in the 50th year of the event, it was the inspiration behind the World Rugby Sevens Series in 1999.

Under the current format, it will make up the first of three HSBC SVNS World Championship events. The eight teams making up the men’s and women’s SVNS Division 1, will now be joined by four qualifiers from the HSBC SVNS Division 2 and 3 tournaments. All teams will be eligible as they compete for the HSBC SVNS World Championship, which will crown the season championships. But there is jeopardy too. Teams will also be competing to secure their places in the series for 2026.

POOL A

After winning every event but Cape Town on their way to the SVNS1 title, New Zealand will come into the HSBC SVNS World Championship as firm favourites. They will face sixth place Fiji, and seventh place Japan in the pool stage. Japan finished in third place in the opening event in Dubai, but saw their form drop off later in the season. Brazil join from SVNS2. After finishing last in Nairobi, and second to last in Montevideo, they turned their form around to win their home event in Sao Paulo.

POOL B

Australia have faced a battle with the Black Ferns all season. They have faced each other in the final of each event, with Australia so far only finding one tournament win over the Black Ferns in Cape Town. 2024 Olympic silver medalists Canada finished fifth in SVNS1, and will be joined by Great Britain. Now on part-time status Great Britain finished last in SVNS1 this season and face a fight to avoid relegation. South Africa enter the SVNS World Championship after finishing third in SVNS2. They achieved a second place finish in Nairobi, and a third place finish in Montevideo.

POOL C

Establishing themselves as the third best team on the series, the United States seems well set on the pathway to Los Angeles, 2028. The team have experienced players such as Kristi Kirshe, combined with the youth and energy of players such as Sariah Ibarra and Nalu Liufau. They will look to carry their form from third place finishes in Vancouver and New York. Lilly Thomas and Karina Gauto could make their debut with Emilie Bydwell’s side.

Pool C is set to be competitive with SVNS1 fourth place finishers France the next seed. Matching the United States for podiums in 2025-26, the match will be a must watch for those planning on setting their alarm clocks. In one of the quirks of the new SVNS format - Argentina will compete in the HSBC SVNS World Championship after earning qualification from SVNS 3, and then winning SVNS 2 this season. They will be joined by Spain, strugglers on the series in 2024-25 they will look to return to SVNS1.

Notable Absences:

Kenya will be disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to compete for the SVNS World Championship and promotion to SVNS1. A second place finish in Sao Paulo wasn’t enough to secure their place in Hong Kong, after falling two points short in the standings.

Speaking to USA Rugby, USA Women’s coach Emilie Bydwell said:

“We are really proud of how effectively we switched gears heading into the two North American legs, which led to two podium finishes. The team responded really well to the change in tone, understanding that we needed to increase our accountability to the core behaviors that allow us to play the style of rugby we aspire to play and to live out our collective intentions on both sides of the ball.” “But, as belief in our group and playing philosophy continues to grow, we are also not satisfied. We know we are still very early in this journey, and there is so much potential in what is to come. So while we can be proud of our recent performances, our focus is on looking ahead to Hong Kong, attacking it one game at a time, and staying committed to getting 5% better in our key areas of focus.”

“Starting the series, we had a clear vision for how we wanted to play and how to maximize the strengths of our group. What’s been really exciting is seeing that vision come to life on the field, and how we’ve continued to build on that foundation. As a team, we’ve grown our understanding of the game we want to play and expanded our toolbox, which allows us to be more effective and adaptable under pressure. We’ve also seen how committing to expressing our physicality, alongside our principles of play in both attack and defense, is what truly brings our identity to life. Our focus now is on consistently delivering that from game to game as we head into Hong Kong.”

How to watch:

In the United States the HSBC SVNS World Championships can be viewed on Paramount +.

For other nations we recommend the Where to Watch page on the World Rugby SVNS website.

Match timings and live scores can be found on the World Rugby Sevens website.