SVNS Series off to a flyer: Teams to beat, new contender and scary truth

New Zealand started the new-look HSBC SVNS Series with a double, securing a title-winning blackout in Dubai with respective triumphs over Australia. The All Blacks Sevens didn’t win any trophies last season, but have hit the ground running in 2025/26.

The Black Ferns Sevens got the sevens party started with a 24-21 win over France on Saturday morning, with Jorja Miller scoring just 15 seconds into the season. Miller was later named the Player of the Final after New Zealand beat Australia 29-14.

Dietrich Roache, Maurice Longbottom and Henry Hutchison were among the standouts for the Australian men’s side during their run to the final. They fell to New Zealand twice, including a tense pool-stage thriller that came down to the wire.

Jayden Keelan sealed the title triumph for the All Blacks Sevens with a runaway try in the 13^th minute, before debutant Harry Wilson struck back for the Australians in the final play of the match – bringing an end to an exhausting, action-packed final.

The new SVNS Series couldn’t have started any better for NZ Sevens, who will look to repeat that feat in Cape Town on December 6-7. France men and Japan women impressed as well, as Olympic-level athletes showcased their flair during a memorable start to the season.

The new teams to beat

The All Blacks Sevens finished seventh on the league standings last season. Trans-Tasman rivals Australia were slightly better off in sixth, with neither side winning any of the seven tournaments on offer in 2024/25.

New Zealand finished fourth at the Dubai Sevens 12 months ago, which was their best result from the regular season. They finished on the podium at the World Championship in Los Angeles, seven months before the start of the team’s new era.

Andrew Knewstubb and Xavier Tito-Harris left New Zealand Sevens for the Highlanders, Cody Vai signed for the Blues, and Tepaea Cook-Savage penned a two-year deal with the Chiefs. Those moves ushered in a new dawn for the All Blacks Sevens.

Jayden Keelan enjoyed a career-best weekend in Dubai, throwing a sublime match-winning flick pass to Brady Rush against Fiji in the semi-final, and sealed the win for New Zealand with a late try against Australia in the final.

Kele Lasaqa was the pick of the three debutants, saving the All Blacks Sevens with a last-ditch try-saving tackle against Australia in pool play. Akuila Rokilsoa and Rush both clocked votes in RugbyPass’ SVNS Series MVP count, starring in the teams’ resurgent performance.

Dietrich Roache had the same impact on Australia Sevens, with the playmaker stealing the show in multiple matches. Debutants William Cartwright and Harry Wilson looked more than comfortable on the SVNS Series, and Wallace Charlie was one of the national team’s best.

It’s only one tournament, but New Zealand and Australia’s place in the Cup Final is a sign of things to come this season. Both squads have the perfect mix of youth and experience, making them title-ready from the get-go in 2025/26.

They should be considered the teams to beat in men’s sevens.

Australia’s most important player

Rugby sevens is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. In a 14-minute span, Olympic-level athletes are jogging, sprinting, and rarely walking during a relentless test of stamina and mental fortitude.

That’s what makes Tim Walsh’s comments so interesting.

“You noticed that, did you?” the Australia Sevens Women’s coach questioned. Walsh had just been asked about Teagan Levi’s massive minutes on the opening day of the sevens, which seems a sign of things to come.

Walsh spoke on the SVNS Series broadcast, which you can watch on RugbyPass TV, about Levi’s desire to build into a 14-minute player. This news should come as a warning to opposing teams, as the Australians look to build as a collective throughout the campaign.

Levi is already the most dangerous playmaker in the game.

The Aussie hasn’t been given the nickname ‘Pit Bull’ for no reason.

Whether it’s attack or defence, Levi always fronts up.

Levi started the season with three tries on day one, and the 22-year-old was a shining light yet again during the team’s semi-final triumph. The Olympian was one of Australia’s best during their defeat to New Zealand in the final as well.

If Levi builds into a 14-minute player as Walsh suggested, then make no mistake, ‘Pit Bull’ will be Australia’s most important player. Older sister Maddison Levi will also be in that conversation, up there as two of the world’s best on the SVNS Series.

The scary truth about France

France lost their first match of the new season, falling to South Africa 15-12. With the new SVNS format only sending the top two teams from each pool directly to the semi-finals, Les Bleus Sevens had to win their next match to stay in the title race.

Up next for the French in Pool A was two-time defending League Winners Argentina, who had also suffered an opening-round defeat. With it all to play for, both teams charged onto the field at The Sevens Stadium – but nobody, absolutely nobody, could’ve predicted what happened next.

France won 59-7.

It was one of the most dominant rugby sevens performances you’ll ever see, with France making SVNS Series history with their highest score ever against Los Pumas Sevens. That was also just the fifth time that Los Pumas Sevens have conceded at least 50 points in a match.

France settled for a fourth-place finish in Dubai after back-to-back defeats on day two, but that win over Argentina will live on in the history books forever. That was only their second match of the season – a mighty statement so early in the campaign.

Celian Pouzelgues, Enahemo Artaud and Antoine Zeghdar will lead the charge as some of the team’s most important players this season. France will only get better, making them a genuine contender for the World Championships crown in 2026.

New SVNS contender emerges

Spain shocked the rugby sevens world last season, beating the All Blacks Sevens twice during their run to the Dubai Sevens Cup Final. They finished the regular season in third and made the big dance at the World Championship in Los Angeles.

In 2025/26, Japan are the new force taking the SVNS Series by storm. Japan secured a third-place finish in Dubai, beating Fijiana 22-12 in their last match, before the Black Ferns Sevens and Australia contested a familiar final.

Japan were beaten convincingly by New Zealand in the semi-finals, but had overcome Olympic silver medallists Canada 21-19 in a thrilling pool-stage match. That is a huge result for Japan, who had defeated Great Britain by 31 earlier on day one.

It’s a bit of a shock, but not a complete surprise.

Japan Women’s Under-18s Sevens Development Squad took out the Global Youth Sevens crown in 2024, beating Australia 26-15 in that decider. It was always going to be a matter of when, not if, Japan started to challenge for silverware on the world’s premier sevens circuit.

That time is now.

New competition format delivers

There are only eight teams in SVNS 1 this season, split across two pools of four. With a new format sending the top teams from each group directly to the semi-finals, it was practically knockout action from the get-go at the Dubai Sevens.

This new format sparked plenty of drama. France and Argentina lost their opening matches, making their pool-stage clash practically a quarter-final for both contenders, as they looked to keep their Cup Final hopes alive.

New Zealand’s thrilling win over Australia sent them through to the final four. That result left Australia facing a must-win situation against Great Britain, and they’re good enough to take their chance, triumphing 26-17.

The Black Ferns Sevens were stunned by the USA in round two, making the defending champions’ final pool match a must-win. There’s more jeopardy than ever before on the SVNS Series, with every minute of every match counting for something.

There are no easy games.

The stakes are high every time teams take the field.

Bring on Cape Town.