Six players to watch at the Ultimate Sevens in Biarritz

The second round of the Ultimate Sevens is set to hit the shores of Biarritz, with the action taking place on Friday at the Parc des Sports Aguilera.

Judging by the stunning opening weekend in Cardiff, Biarritz is set to be even more intense: with teams now familiarised with the format, how they can score points and win games, and critically, many sides will be coming in having points to prove.

Cardiff also marked several key players taking to the tournament fast, players who are likely set to take that form into a big weekend in the Biarritzian sunshine.

RugbyPass breaks down six players to keep track of ahead of the Ultimate Sevens in France, and who has the potential to blow the tournament wide open.

Nia Toliver (Atlantic Novas)

If there is any player that grabbed the opening weekend of Ultimate Sevens by the horns, it was USA Eagles star Nia Toliver.

Scoring several critical tries for her side as they raced away to an inaugural title victory, her danger out on the wing proved lethal, leaving several high class players in her wake.

Expect the star, dubbed the “American Lomu” for her distinct running style, to stand out once against this weekend.

Selvyn Davids (Clan Taran)

If there is a contender for try of the weekend in Cardiff, it likely would have been to Blitzbok Selvyn Davids, a piece of individual brilliance seeing him run the length of the field in the final against Foudre Bleue.

However, the South African was everywhere for Clan Taran, setting up several crucial tries that helped the ‘hosts’ get to the grand final.

Complete with a critical turnover in the final to deny Foudre Bleue the win, expect Davids to pick up right where he left off in Biarritz.

Maddison Levi (Pacific Current)

While Pacific Current didn’t make it to the final, they are definitely going to be a side to watch in the remaining two weeks of action – thanks in no small part due to Maddison Levi.

Dubbed by Ultimate Sevens Managing Director Barney Pascall as the best player in the world, in Cardiff it was easy to see why, with Levi breaking tackles with ease and causing all sorts of problems for the opposition.

Should Pacific Current make it to a maiden final this weekend, expect Levi to have played a major part in getting them there.

Josua Cevaceva (Foudre Bleue)

A lesser known name but one that will be getting a lot more attention, UK Armed Forces sevens player Josua Cevaceva marked himself as a player to watch, scoring the first even golden try in the tournament’s history, a try scored in sudden death extra time.

Selected as Foudre Bleue’s academy pick for the men’s side, the team have found a real star on their hands, with Cevaceva having recently been named as Player of the Tournament at the Edinburgh City Sevens.

Thalia Costa (Sol Feroz)

Brazil’s star female player showed why she was one of the players to watch in SVNS 2 and the SVNS World Championship, making several great scores as Sol Feroz made it all the way to the final.

The women in red boast several great players, with Aussie Ruby Nicholas scoring the first try in the tournament’s history – but even in a stacked line up, Costa stood out.

While it was a disappointing end in the final, the form of those players bodes well if they can back up their promise shown in Cardiff.

Tristan Leyds (Albion Athletic)

Albion Athletic had a frustrating start to their time in the Ultimate Sevens, going down in the first round 7-5 to Atlantic Novas, reflecting on how tight the scorelines in the men’s competition were.

However, the stacked squad suggests they are more than capable of rewriting that script in Biarritz, not the least of which because they have the 2026 Men’s SVNS Player of the Year, Tristan Leyds.

The Blitzbok scored the side’s only try of the day in Wales, and individually looked close to his best despite his side going down – a potential indication of a promising weekend ahead.