The SVNS Series stars already shaping the race to LA 2028

It may be too early to talk about Olympic favourites and the road to Los Angeles 2028 has barely begun, but a number of sevens’ biggest names are already giving us a glimpse of who could define the next cycle.

There is something different about an Olympic cycle in rugby sevens. The four-year countdown can feel impossibly long when the next Games are still two summers away, but in a sport where careers can change at remarkable speed, reputations are already being built.

The 2026 HSBC SVNS season has come and gone, Australia were crowned women’s World Champions, South Africa claimed the men’s title, and the 2027 calendar has been confirmed as the next major step towards Olympic qualification.

That means the question is no longer simply who is the best player in sevens right now.

It is who can still be the best when the Olympic medals are handed out in Los Angeles.

Some names already look almost certain to be central to that conversation. Others are only just beginning to emerge.

And there is plenty of time for the picture to change.

Jorja Miller – New Zealand

New Zealand have spent much of the Olympic era setting the standard in women’s sevens, and Jorja Miller increasingly looks like one of the players capable of carrying on that tradition forward.

Miller was part of the 2026 Women’s SVNS Dream Team and has already developed a reputation for influencing games well beyond simply scoring tries.

Her ability to combine physicality with rugby intelligence makes her particularly valuable in the compressed environment of sevens.

New Zealand’s strength is that they rarely have to rely on one player, but if the Black Ferns Sevens are to remain at the summit through the next Olympic cycle, Miller is likely to be one of the central figures.

The challenge for New Zealand is obvious. Australia are coming off a World Championship-winning season, while the USA, France and Canada remain capable of disrupting the established order.

Jorja Miller will be one of the players expected to keep the Black Ferns Sevens ahead of them.

Maddison Levi – Australia

If there is one player who already looks like an obvious face of the LA 2028 Games, it is Maddison Levi.

The Australian winger has become one of the most destructive attacking players in women’s sevens and finished the 2026 season with yet another remarkable statistical achievement.

Levi scored 64 tries during the 2026 HSBC SVNS Series, earning the women’s top try-scorer award and helping Australia secure the World Championship title. She was also selected in the 2026 Women’s SVNS Dream Team.

But it is not simply the numbers that make Levi so difficult to ignore.

Her pace and power make her a consistent threat, and she has the ability to turn even the simplest bit of possession into a try from almost anywhere.

There is also a very important detail when looking ahead to 2028 – Levi has already committed her future to Australian Rugby through the LA Olympics, alongside her sister Teagan.

At just 23, she has time on her side. If Australia arrive in Los Angeles as expected contenders, Levi could be one of the tournament’s biggest stars to watch.

Tristan Leyds – South Africa

South Africa’s men’s programme has developed into one of the most consistent forces in international sevens.

Tristan Leyds was named Men’s SVNS Player of the Year after helping the Blitzboks win five tournaments during the regular HSBC SVNS season. He was also selected in the men’s Dream Team.

That combination of creativity and finishing ability makes him a particularly dangerous player. He can create something from nothing, but he is equally comfortable taking responsibility when South Africa needs someone to control a game.

The Blitzboks’ dominance this year was not built around one individual. Shilton Van Wyk, Ryan Oosthuizen and others all played major roles.

However, Leyds has emerged as the player who can give South Africa that extra layer of attacking unpredictability and that could prove invaluable when the pressure of Olympic knockout rugby arrives.

Marcos Moneta – Argentina

Argentina’s route to an Olympic medal may look different from that of South Africa, Australia or New Zealand, but Marcos Moneta has already shown that they possess one of the most dangerous finishers in the sport.

Moneta managed to break the 200-try mark in international sevens during the 2026 season and finished with 47 tries across the campaign, earning the men’s top try-scorer award.

That is an extraordinary production in a sport where opportunities can disappear in seconds.

Argentina have also developed a reputation for playing with an intensity that makes them extremely difficult to handle when matches become chaotic. Moneta thrives in exactly those situations.

If Argentina are to turn their consistent SVNS presence into a serious Olympic medal challenge, their superstar finisher will be central to it.

Shilton van Wyk – South Africa

If Leyds is the architect, then Shilton van Wyk is often the man South Africa unleashes into space.

The notorious speedster was named in this years’ Men’s SVNS Dream Team and finished as one of the most prolific attacking players on the circuit – his pace has repeatedly made the difference in tight matches.

That was evident throughout South Africa’s 2026 campaign, including their World Championship run. Van Wyk scored twice against Kenya in Valladolid and twice again against Kenya in the Bordeaux World Championship tournament.

For the player whose greatest weapon is acceleration, the open spaces of sevens provide an obvious platform. If South Africa can maintain their current level over the next two seasons, van Wyk could be one of the most recognisable players at the Games.

Anaick Konyi – France

Not every player on this list has already established themselves as an Olympic superstar. Anaick Konyi is here because of what she might become.

The French teenager was named Women’s SVNS Rookie of the Year in 2026 after making an immediate impact on the international circuit. She scored 18 tries by the end of the Valladolid tournament alone and became an important part of France’s podium finishes during the season – that is exactly the kind of emergence that can change an Olympic cycle.

France already possess a strong sevens culture and the benefit of playing in front of a home crowd during the 2024 Paris Olympics showed how much Olympic rugby can capture the public imagination.

Konyi now has two years to develop into something even more significant. By Los Angeles, she could be one of France’s most important attacking weapons.

Kele Lasaqa – New Zealand

On the men’s side, New Zealand’s Kele Lasaqa is another name worth remembering. He was only 19 when he won the 2026 Men’s SVNS Rookie of the Year award.

Lasaqa’s breakthrough came despite being surrounded by more experienced players. He helped New Zealand win in Dubai, scored a late try against Argentina in Singapore and crossed against France in Perth – those moments matter.

A player does not have to dominate every tournament at 19 to suggest he could become an Olympic star. Sometimes it is the ability to produce in decisive moments that tells you more.

New Zealand will have plenty of competition for places by 2028, but Lasaqa has given the coaching staff something very valuable – time. He has two years to turn promise into consistency.

Henry Hutchison – Australia

Australia’s men’s programme also has a player with plenty of momentum heading towards LA.

Henry Hutchison was named in the 2026 Men’s SVNS Dream Team and played a starring role in Australia’s  World Championship triumph in Valladolid. He was also named player of the final after Australia recovered from 14-0 down to beat South Africa 26-19.

That comeback said plenty about Australia’s potential. South Africa had dominated much of the season, yet Australia found a way to overturn them when the stakes were highest – Hutchison’s influence was significant and the challenge now is consistency.

Australia has the athletes to become genuine Olympic contenders, but the next two years will determine whether the Valladolid success was the beginning of something bigger or simply an outstanding tournament.

Vuiviwa Naduvalo – Fiji

It would be impossible to discuss the men’s Olympic race without mentioning Fiji. The Olympic champions have one of the richest traditions in sevens and continue to produce players capable of changing matches through individual brilliance.

Vuiviwa Naduvalo was one of the standout performers of 2026, earning a place in the Men’s SVNS Dream Team alongside Leyds, van Wyk and Hutchison.

Fiji’s challenge is to convert that individual talent into the consistency required across an entire Olympic cycle.

The Los Angeles Games will also be played in a very different environment from Tokyo or Paris, but the fundamental strengths of Fijian sevens remain the same. Speed, offloading, broken-field running and an ability to create opportunities that simply should not exist. Naduvalo could be one of the players carrying that tradition into the next generation.

The next wave..

The most interesting part of the LA 2028 race is that these are not necessarily the players who will dominate it.

This season has given us clues, rather than answers. Australia’s Maddison Levi and South Africa’s Tristan Leyds currently have perhaps the strongest claims to being the faces of their respective competitions. New Zealand’s Jorja Miller is already a proven star, while Moneta continues to redefine what Argentina can achieve.

The next two years will bring injuries, positional changes, players moving between sevens and XVs, and teenagers who have not yet appeared on the biggest stage – that is the nature of Olympic sevens.

The 2027 season will be particularly important. World Rugby has confirmed a nine-event calendar, beginning in Dubai in November and culminating with the World Championship tournaments in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux. The organisation has explicitly positioned the season as part of the qualification pathway for Los Angeles.

Of course there will be new stars and there will be established names who disappear from contention.

There will be players who suddenly produce the tournament of their lives at exactly the right moment, but for now the first pieces of the puzzle are already on the board.

If the 2026 season has taught us anything, it’s that Los Angeles could have some very familiar faces at the centre of the story and that the Olympic race has started.