Tight at the top as HSBC SVNS arrives in New York for the first time

The slimmest of margins separates Fiji and South Africa at the top of the men’s table, while New Zealand and Australia will fight it out at the top of the women’s competition in the final round of the main HSBC SVNS Series in New York.

Spirits were high and could not be dampened at the captains photo at J Owen Grundy Park in the Big Apple against the backdrop of the the famous skyline as the HSBC SVNS Series arrived in New York for the first time.

Teams will be all business when they take to the pitch at Sports Illustrated Stadium at the weekend, where there is still plenty to be decided. In the women’s competition, New Zealand extended their lead over Australia in the HSBC SVNS Series standings to six points last weekend in Vancouver, where they claimed their fourth tournament title in five events this season.

The two superpowers of women’s sevens have met in every final on the calendar to date, and will kick off in New York as strong favourites to meet in the showpiece for a sixth time with third-place USA looking to finish strongly in front of their home crowd.

Photo: Alex Ho

USA’s Kristi Kirshe said rugby fans in New York could look forward to ‘a party’ when the HSBC SVNS kicks off at the weekend.

“We’ve been trying to grow the game in America, so I think this is a really cool opportunity,” she said. “We’re bringing out some of the best athletes in the world this weekend and it’s exciting to get to play on home soil – you get that little extra momentum from the crowd and we’re really excited.

“I think [fans] can expect a party – I mean, they’re electric games. It’s full contact, full sprint. It’s really an exciting time, and it’s a lot of fun.”

South Africa are locked in an epic battle at the top of the men’s standings with Fiji, who hold the slimmest of advantages heading to the final round of the regular season as teams compete to be crowned HSBC SVNS Series 2026 Winners.

The Blitzboks, who have won three times on the Series in Cape Town, Perth and Vancouver are level on league points with the Pacific Islanders, who have two tournament wins of their own in Dubai and Singapore, and have finished in the top three in all five events on the HSBC SVNS to date since the opening round in the desert last December. They’re separated by just two match points, a conversion across the five tournaments on the Series so far.

The sides that finish top of the men’s and women’s standings heading into the three-tournament World Championship series, which kicks off in Hong Kong on 17 April, will be exempt from relegation to HSBC SVNS 2 at the end of the year.

Fans can join the party and purchase single and two-day ticket passes to HSBC SVNS New York here,

All the action across the weekend will also be shown on Paramount+ in the US. Those further afield can find out where to watch here with RugbyPass TV also streaming the Series.