How the SVNS World Championship standings look before Valladolid

The HSBC SVNS World Championship heads to northwestern Spain this week, with the Blitzboks and Black Ferns Sevens the teams to beat. Both sides made history last month at Kai Tak Sports Park, taking out titles at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens.

New Zealand defeated arch-rivals Australia 19-14 in the Women’s Cup Final, securing a four-peat of titles at the fan favourite event. Risi Pouri-Lane was recognised as the best on ground, while Jorja Miller did enough to secure the RugbyPass Women’s SVNS Series MVP accolade.

Then, the final match of the three-day SVNS extravaganza saw the Blitzboks face the defending Hong Kong Sevens champions for a shot at history. South Africa had never won the famous event but broke that title drought with a 35-7 win over Los Pumas Sevens.

The Blitzboks had fallen to Spain in a shock defeat during the pool stage, but still punched their ticket to the knockout rounds with a commanding 38-0 win over Los Pumas Sevens in the final round of pool matches.

Australia had flown through the group stage with a 3-0 unbeaten record but tumbled out of the title race with a quarter-final loss to Spain. Spain ultimately settled for a third-place finish, with New Zealand, Fiji and Australia rounding out the top six.

That’s how the men standings look ahead of the second stop of the World Championship Series. There were six regular season events earlier in the 2025/26 campaign, but the ladder effectively reset for the final three legs of the campaign.

These three tournaments will determine the World Championship winners, the eight teams that qualify for the 2026/26 SVNS 1 season, and the four sides that will be left to fight their way back up from the second division.

The Blitzboks and Black Ferns Sevens are both exempt from potential relegation after winning the regular season title. South Africa secured the SVNS New York trophy in a thriller against Fiji, who were also vying for the SVNS 1 crown.

All eight first division teams are competing in the World Championship, along with four qualifiers out of SVNS 2. The Hong Kong Sevens was the first stop, ahead of Valladolid on May 29 to 31 and Bordeaux on June 5 to 7.

As things stand, France are just outside the drop zone in eighth place on the men’s standings. Uruguay, Great Britain, Germany and the USA are the four sides that currently sit in the bottom four, but there is plenty of sevens to be played over the next two weeks.

New Zealand and Australia have qualified for every SVNS 1 or World Championship Women’s Cup Final so far this season. They are first and second on the standings now, with France, Canada, the USA and Japan sitting in the top half of the ladder.

Great Britain brought their long losing-streak to an end at the Hong Kong Sevens, but they still in the bottom four ahead of SVNS Valladolid. Brazil sit in ninth, while Argentina and South Africa are also looking to rise up the standings.

Women’s HSBC SVNS World Championship standings

After Hong Kong Sevens

New Zealand – 20 (points)

Australia – 18

France – 16

Canada – 14

USA – 12

Japan – 10

Fiji – 8

Spain – 6

Brazil – 4

Great Britain – 3

Argentina – 2

South Africa – 1

Men’s HSBC SVNS World Championship standings

After Hong Kong Sevens

South Africa – 20 (points)

Argentina – 18

Spain – 16

New Zealand – 14

Fiji – 12

Australia – 10

Kenya – 8

France – 6

Uruguay – 4

Great Britain – 3

Germany – 2

USA – 1