South Africa and Fiji take SVNS 1 title race to final day in New York

The HSBC SVNS 1 winners will be decided on the final day of the regular season in New York, with Fiji and South Africa qualifying for the semi-finals at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Douglas Deveta scored a hat-trick late on day one as Fiji overcame Spain 43-12 in a must-win fixture.

It was a two-horse race for men’s SVNS 1 honours going into the sixth and final stop of the 2025/26 regular season, and Fiji and South Africa are both still in with a chance. The Fijians dropped their opening match to Argentina but rallied with two key wins later on day one.

Marcos Moneta raced away for the first try of the weekend, kickstarting Argentina’s point-scoring run against Fiji. Los Pumas Sevens recorded a 31-12 victory and would later qualify for the final four after a last-gasp win over Spain.

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With South Africa taking a big step towards the Cup Semi-Finals with a dominant 22-7 blitz of New Zealand, Fiji had it all to play for in Pool B. Whoever finishes higher in New York will claim the SVNS 1 crown and be exempt from relegation during the upcoming World Championships.

Fiji bounced back with a remarkable 24-19 comeback against Great Britain, with Viwa Naduvalo crossing for a quick second-half double before Nacani Boginisoko raced away for the go-ahead points with less than two minutes remaining.

Tristan Leyds and Ronald Brown touched down for a try each as the Blitzboks recorded a hard-fought 12-5 triumph over France. With the Blitzboks through to the semi-finals, Fiji had to win their final pool match to keep their SVNS 1 title hopes alive.

Deveta crossed for the opening try in the second minute, before Jeremaia Matana and Sevuloni Mocenacagi made their mark on the scoreboard. The recent SVNS debutant added another five points to Fiji’s score, leading 28-0 before an Eduardo Lopez try before the break.

Joseva Talacolo, Terio Veilawa and a third from Deveta saw Fiji book their place in the semi-finals with a statement performance. Fiji are all set for a semi-final against Australia, who topped Pool A after defeating South Africa 19-12.

James Turner, Ben Dalton and Jayden Blake all scored tries as the Australians claimed a thrilling win over the SVNS Series juggernaut. Selvyn Davids passed the 100 career tries mark during the New York event, as South Africa set up a clash with Argentina on Sunday.

“We spoke a lot about consistency during the week, especially backing up in that second week here in New York,” Australia’s Blake said.

“A lot of our games go down to the wire, it’s good to get the wins but we’ve got a job to do tomorrow against Fiji.

“Discipline was a big one for us last week so keep playing the footy we’re playing but tidy up on the discipline.”