The pyramid grows: Five things we learnt from the inaugural season of SVNS 2

With all eyes now focused on the start of the HSBC SVNS World Championship, the time has also come for reflection on an entertaining three rounds of the inaugural SVNS 2 tournament.

Making up the middle tier of the new ‘pyramid’ format of SVNS rugby, fans in Nairobi, Montevideo and São Paulo were treated to brilliant weekends of fast-flowing rugby, with six teams in the men’s and women’s competition vying for finals qualification.

RugbyPass looks back at this first edition of the new tournament, and what lies in store for the event as its 2026 winners prepare to play for higher honours in Hong Kong.

The hunger for SVNS 2

In taking SVNS 2 to three unique locations, what has been particularly fun to see is how much fans got behind the respective tournaments.

Over 10,000 fans turned out in Nairobi across the weekend, with members of the Kenyan government and the governing body of the sport in Africa highlighting Kenya’s readiness to host more rugby fixtures.

While attendances were slightly hampered due to unpredictable weather conditions in Montevideo, the attendances in São Paulo were also encouraging at the Estádio Nicolau Alayon, the home of Super Rugby Americas’ side the Cobras.

All signs point to an encouraging future for the tournament, and that fans will show up for a high-quality Sevens product, no matter the level on the pyramid.

The chasing pack

Every side had their chance to shine across the three weekends of competition, with finals spots up for grabs right until the end of action in Brazil.

Top of the list is the United States and Kenya in the men’s competition, with Germany continuing a big year, finishing first and second in Nairobi and Montevideo, with Uruguay qualifying last with a bronze medal finish in Brazil.

The women saw a three-way race with Argentina, Spain and South Africa, with Brazil pulling their finals aspirations out of the fire at home to fill the last final spot.

Even sides who missed out on finals, notably Belgium in the men’s and Kenya in the women’s competitions, were given a chance to impress, finishing first and second respectively in São Paulo.

Playing in threes

Despite qualifying, there was a universal theme across the final round of the competition in Brazil: consistency is key.

This was especially the case for the USA and Germany in the men’s competition and Argentina and South Africa in the women’s competition, who all suffered significant slumps in São Paulo.

Despite the fact that all four sides had already qualified for finals and were saving themselves for Hong Kong, the drop in form was enough to warrant concerns.

With consistency a key factor in SVNS rugby, such results play into the hands of Kenya and Uruguay in the men’s competition, who improved throughout the tournament, with Kenya the only men’s side that finished in the top three in every event.

This also bodes well for the Spanish women’s side, who stunned several teams in Montevideo and ended with a bronze finish in São Paulo, being the only women’s side that finished in the top three in every event.

All qualifying sides will need to hit the ground running in Hong Kong, and will hope Brazil was a blip on the road, not a sign of things to come.

SVNS 3 form a critical launchpad

Speaking of form, the more SVNS 2 dragged on, the more it confirmed how valuable the SVNS 3 tournament was for those who participated.

With the men, Canada had a difficult run in SVNS 2 after winning SVNS 3 in January, but the runners-up in Dubai, Belgium, came away from the tournament with promising results, winning the São Paulo SVNS despite missing out on the World Championship.

The women’s tournament was a different kettle of fish, with both SVNS 3 qualifiers South Africa and Argentina dominating after being promoted to SVNS 2, with both sides qualifying for the World Championship.

Should either side dislodge a current World Series team and finish inside the top eight, such an achievement would highlight why this new ‘pyramid’ format was brought in: to build competitors up and to reward sides who deliver substantial improvement.

New faces in the World Series?

With SVNS 2 now behind, a key question remains: can any of the eight sides who’ve qualified for the World Championship make the jump into the World Series?

Given that many sides previously have history in the expanded format, the answer is yes; however, Hong Kong will give a key indication as to the level of intensity between the World Series and SVNS 2.

Great Britain will likely be the target for all SVNS 2 sides, the men’s and women’s teams both finishing last and struggling to deliver results.

Spain and Argentina may also be in the mix for the men, with Japan and Fiji making up the bottom three for the women.

With finals rugby, anything can happen, and with many tournaments coalescing into an intense three weeks of finals action, it promises to be one of the most exciting finishes to a season in years.