USA complete remarkable rise by beating Fiji to qualify for SVNS Series

The USA have completed a remarkable rise into the top eight on the 2026 HSBC SVNS World Championship standings, qualifying for next season’s SVNS Series with a comeback 17-14 win over Fiji in Bordeaux. 

Following a last-place finish at the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens and a bottom-four ranking at SVNS Valladolid last weekend, the USA faced an uphill battle to secure a return to the top tier of the world’s premier sevens circuit. 

But after a stunning 3-0 run through pool play, the USA took the field for the quarter-finals at the season finale. The USA were beaten but still had a chance to secure a spot on the 2027 SVNS Series but would need to defeat Fiji. 

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The USA fought their way back from a 14-0 deficit, charging ahead with a 17-point blitz in the final three minutes. David Still and Will Chevalier touched down for quick tries, before Lucas Lacamp dove over for the winning points in the final play. 

This fifth-place ranking in Bordeaux has seen the USA finish the World Championship with 17 competition points on the ladder, which is equal with Kenya. But there are tiebreakers that can be used, with the first being match points differential, which has the USA ahead. 

“Coming out of Hong Kong [China] we finished in last place. We sat down that first day back from that tour and had a real hard long look into ourselves in the mirror and really asked ourselves what we wanted to be, who we wanted to be, what we wanted our identity to look like,” Chevalier told RugbyPass in Bordeaux. 

“We didn’t quite get it right last week either in Spain but we for sure got it right this weekend. We’ve still got so much more to give but I’m just so proud of these boys. 

“There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in the fight, from the first minute to the last. We’re down 14-0 in the second half and just dug in, we just believed in one another and the result spoke for itself.” 

It’s euphoria for the USA and heartbreak for Kenya, who will need to fight their way back up to the World Championship next season. Germany, Uruguay and Great Britain are the other sides that didn’t secure SVNS Series qualification. 

The USA return to the top-flight, joining back-to-back SVNS World Champions South Africa on the circuit. Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Spain, New Zealand and France are the other sides who will compete to become world champions next season. 

Qualified Men’s teams 2027 HSBC SVNS Series   

South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Spain, New Zealand, France and the USA