‘Nothing to lose’: USA build towards World Championship finale in Bordeaux

The USA heads to the HSBC SVNS World Championship finale in Bordeaux on June 5 to 7 with it all to play for after claiming ninth at SVNS Valladolid. Beating Germany 28-21 saw the USA finish the event with back-to-back wins, as they continue to build and chase improvement.

USA captain Stephen Tomasin was seen shouting from the sidelines as his teammates set up to receive a kick-off in the dying stages. Germany had just scored through Maximilian Heid, and there was still more than enough time left for someone to become the match-levelling hero.

Tomasin shouted when there was 20 seconds left on the clock, doing so again at the 15 and 10 second marks. The USA managed to retrieve possession and hoof the ball into touch, as they held on for a hard-fought result against another qualifier out of SVNS 2.

Catch up on HSBC SVNS World Championship action on RugbyPass TV. You can create an account HERE.

The USA were ranked 12^th on the World Championship standings after the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens last month but have claimed some crucial competition points in northwestern Spain, ahead of the final stop of the season.

“It’s been a tough World Championship for us. We didn’t come out of Hong Kong [China] with a win, we lost the first game here. To get a win last and then to build on that and get another one today, we’re just moving in the right direction,” Tomasin told RugbyPass in Valladolid.

“We had some things to correct after Hong Kong [China] that took some time so it just feels really good to get back in the winning column. It gets pretty park when you’re losing and we want to make sure that doesn’t remain a habit.

“A lot of emotion there and it just feels really good to get out of the weekend with back-to-back wins and looking forward to the next one.”

Tomasin noted that HSBC SVNS matches are won and lost in key moments. The USA were caught on the wrong side of those fine margins during the pool stage, falling to some of the world’s best teams in a series of thrillers.

Angel Bozal scored in the 15^th minute to hand Spain a 26-21 win over the USA on Friday. The USA suffered other defeats to Fiji and France, with the reigning Olympic champions holding on for a tense five-point triumph.

But the Americans bounced back with a ninth-place semi-final win over Great Britain, with Tomasin changing the game with a double. Tomasin is confident in the progress the USA have made heading into Bordeaux.

“We lost to Spain on the last play of the game… the France game was a one-score game, even the Fiji game was close. That’s just the level that the World Series is at right now. It’s a game of moments,” Tomasin reflected.

“For us that’s the difference in a pool or a draw to get into extra-time or something like that. We are not far off at all, it’s just learning to win more of those moments than lose them and we’re right there.

“We’re made huge strides since Hong Kong [China] but we still have quite a bit to go.”

But the USA still sits in the bottom four leading into next week, as they face an uphill battle to chase down the top eight pack. The World Championship winners will of course be crowned in Bordeaux, but there’s plenty on the line for the other 11 teams as well.

Whoever finishes in the top eight will earn core status for the 2026/27 SVNS 1 campaign, while the bottom four at left to fight their way back up from the second tier. The same top eight made the quarters in Bordeaux, so there’s a bit of gap, but this race is far from over.

“In reality I think is we probably have to make a final next weekend to get into the top eight.

“When it’s all out of the table like that, it’s a great challenge. We’ve done ourselves a disservice up until this point but we’re gonna o into next weekend and give it everything we got. We’ve got nothing to lose realistically at this point.

“We’ve got to make a semi-final, we’ve got to probably make a final as well. We’re going to throw everything at it. We win a couple more of those moments and we’ll be right in the mix.”