'I hope that we’re going to have a great season': Parez-Edo Martin relishing prospect of return home

Olympic heroes will play in front of a French crowd for the first time in 22 months when Bordeaux hosts the final event of the all-new HSBC SVNS World Championship, where the overall Series men’s and women’s winners will be crowned.

The SVNS Series is heading to Stade Atlantique for the first time, with the World Championship concluding in La Belle Endormie (The Sleeping Beauty) from June 5 to 7. It’ll be the first time in almost two years that France’s Olympic gold medallists will compete on home soil.

Record-breaking crowds packed the stands at Stade de France at Paris 2024, watching on as Antoine Dupont and Stephen Parez-Edo Martin helped fire the home nation to Olympic gold with a famous 28-7 win over Fiji.

Parez-Edo Martin had quite the year in 2024, named the Player of the Final after France took out their only overall SVNS Series title in Madrid, two months before the Games. The playmaker has won the most sought-after prizes in sevens but remains as hungry as ever for more success.

The 31-year-old couldn’t help but smile when asked about the prospect of playing in front of a home crowd again. SVNS Bordeaux will be a unique celebration of rugby, with the 12 best teams in men’s and women’s sevens competing for their respective titles and a place in history.

“We will see who wins the Championship in Bordeaux,” Parez-Edo Martin said.

“I hope that we’re going to have a great season and be in the three final Championship tournaments.

“I think it can be helpful for us to finish in Bordeaux and finish strong. The crowd can give us the power of an eighth player.

“After the Olympics, the French crowd loved sevens and wanted to keep coming to the stadium to watch it. We are more than excited to be playing in front of a home crowd.”

Bordeaux is home to one of the more dominant rugby teams in the world right now, with Union Bordeaux Begles taking out the Champions Cup title last season with a win over the Northampton Saints at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey and another French flyer Damian Penaud both ply their trade at the Top 14 club. Rugby has become an unmissable occasion in Bordeaux, with the city also known for its stunning architecture and wines.

Bordeaux has held a stop on the SVNS Series once before, with Stade Chaban-Delmas hosting an event during the 2024 season, with the All Blacks Sevens taking out the Cup Final with a 28-19 win over England on May 29.

Paris was the home venue for the French stop of the Series for years before the circuit went to Toulouse after the COVID-19 pandemic. France have taken out the men’s title on one occasion, beating Fiji 28-19 in the 2005 decider in Paris.

“We are so excited,” Parez-Edo Martin explained.

“The French crowd are eager to get back to sevens and Bordeaux is a beautiful region where wine, food and rugby hold a very important place. I think it is doing to be massive.”

France have shown a wealth of promise already this season, capturing headlines with a historic 59-7 win over SVNS Series heavyweights Argentina in Dubai. But Les Bleus Sevens haven’t been able to maintain their dominance over two days so far in 2025/26.

New Zealand’s All Blacks Sevens and the Blitzboks from South Africa have taken out the first two titles of the season, in Dubai and Cape Town. Parez-Edo Martin is still upbeat about the direction of Les Bleus Sevens, who have young talents like Andy Timo making their mark.

“I’m very happy with the progress of our team since last year,” he added.

“Even if we have missed consistency throughout an entire tournament – we lost every match on the second day [in Dubai and Cape Town], so we have to improve.

“The attack is very interesting. There are connections being created.”

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