New front-runner emerges in RugbyPass SVNS MVP standings after Singapore

RugbyPass SVNS Series writers will review each tournament this season with their MVP votes. Finn Morton, Ben Smith, Joe Harvey and Lachlan Grey weigh in with 3-2-1 votes towards the RugbyPass Men’s and Women’s SVNS Series MVP leaderboard.

There has been another change at the top of the RugbyPass Men’s SVNS Series MVP leaderboard, with Viwa Naduvalo receiving nine votes after producing a Player of the Final performance in Fiji’s remarkable comeback in the Singapore Cup Final.

There was a sense of déjà vu when Naduvalo was unveiled as the best on ground after Fiji fought their way back to beat France 21-12 in Sunday’s decider. Naduvalo had been named the Player of the Final at last season’s SVNS Singapore, with Fiji winning 21-12 then as well against Kenya.

Naduvalo has scored more tries on the Men’s SVNS Series than anyone else during the 2025/26 season, which included a key score against France. Fiji were trailing 12-0 with about three minutes left when the 29-year-old raced away to the try line at the National Stadium.

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Kavekini Tanivanuakula added to Fiji’s score with a runaway try immediately after the restart, which brought the teams level at 12-points each. Terio Veilawa remained calm under pressure with the conversion attempt, nailing a tough attempt to give Fiji the lead for the first time.

Fiji weren’t done there, with Pilipo Bukayaro icing the match with the team’s third try as the full-time siren sounded. The Fijians defended their SVNS Singapore title on a humid evening in the Lion City, seeing them rise to first the overall season standings.

Naduvalo led the way for Fiji as they delivered a series of statement results over the weekend, which included other incredible wins against New Zealand and South Africa. It shouldn’t be a surprise to read that another two Fijian players polled MVP votes.

New Zealand’s Akuila Rokolisoa was first on the RugbyPass leaderboard after the Dubai Sevens, before Shilton van Wyk and Luciano Gonzalez took over after an unforgettable tournament at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium in December.

Van Wyk and Gonzalez remain in second place after the third stop of the season, three points behind the new leader in Naduvalo. There are five new names in these rankings, including one Fijian, a couple of New Zealanders, and two standouts from the French side.

Andy Timo has been right up there with the best all season, but the Frenchman hasn’t polled any votes until now. Timo won a match-winning turnover in the dying stages of France’s semi-final win over South Africa and almost registered a try assist one minute into the decider.

Paulin Riva enjoyed a particularly impressive weekend as well, with the France captain scoring a try just before half-time in the Cup Final.  While France were beaten, their record of three semi-final appearances in as many events this season highlights their consistency.

There are three more SVNS 1 events before the new-look World Championships, which will be held over three legs in Hong Kong China, Valladolid and Bordeaux. All eight teams from SVNS 1 and four sides from the second-tier will compete for the overall SVNS Series title.

France won the first-of-its-kind SVNS Series Grand Final at SVNS Madrid in 2024, with Antoine Dupont playing a key role in Les Blues Sevens’ run to glory. Riva and Stephen Parez-Edo Martin are among the SVNS Series champions and Olympic gold medallists still playing for the team.

Next up on the SVNS Series, the circuit heads to Perth’s HBF Park on February 7 to 8.

RugbyPass SVNS Series MVP 3-2-1 votes – Singapore

Finn Morton

Men: Viwa Naduvalo (Fiji), Terio Veilawa (Fiji), Andy Timo (France)

Women: Jorja Miller (New Zealand), Olivia Apps (Canada), Maddison Levi (Australia)

Joe Harvey

Men: Terio Veilawa (Fiji), Paulin Riva (France), Rob Rush (New Zealand)

Women: Jorja Miller (New Zealand), Olivia Apps (Canada), Maddison Levi (Australia)

Ben Smith

Men: Viwa Naduvalo (Fiji), Nacani Boginisoko (Fiji), Kele Lasaqa (New Zealand)

Women: Jorja Miller (New Zealand), Jazmin Felix-Hotham (New Zealand), Maddison Levi (Australia)

Lachlan Grey

Men: Viwa Naduvalo (Fiji), Paulin Riva (France), Kele Lasaqa (New Zealand)

Women: Jorja Miller (New Zealand), Jazmin Felix-Hotham (New Zealand), Maya Stewart (Australia)

RugbyPass Men’s SVNS Series MVP leaderboard

Viwa Naduvalo (Fiji) – 12 votes

Shilton van Wyk (South Africa), Luciano Gonzalez (Argentina) – 9 votes

Akuila Rokolisoa (New Zealand) – 8 votes

Brady Rush (New Zealand) – 6 votes

Terio Veilawa (Fiji) – 5 votes

Dietrich Roache (Australia), Paulin Riva (France) – 4 votes

Donovan Don (South Africa), Wallace Charlie (Australia) – 3 votes

Nacani Boginisoko (Fiji), Kele Lasaqa (New Zealand) – 2 votes

Pilipo Bukayaro (Fiji), Ryan Oosthuizen (South Africa), Marcos Moneta (Argentina), Andy Timo (France), Rob Rush (New Zealand) – 1 vote

RugbyPass Women’s SVNS Series MVP leaderboard

Jorja Miller (New Zealand) – 26 votes

Maddison Levi (Australia) – 14 votes

Isabella Nasser (Australia) – 11 votes

Kelsey Teneti (New Zealand) – 5 votes

Jazmin Felix-Hotham (New Zealand), Olivia Apps (Canada)  – 4 votes

Teagan Levi (Australia – 3 votes

Mahina Paul (New Zealand) – 2 votes

Hanako Utsumi (Japan), Reapi Ulunisau (Fiji), Maya Stewart (Australia) – 1 vote