HSBC SVNS League Winners to be crowned in Singapore
HSBC SVNS 2024 League Winners to be decided at Singapore National Stadium on 3-5 May
New Zealand and Australia tied at top of women’s standings as women’s competition features for the first time in Singapore
Argentina lead Ireland by eight points in men’s standings as both teams aim for their first ever SVNS league winners title
Intense battle to secure eighth and last place in HSBC SVNS Grand Final in Madrid
Play gets under way at 11:00 local time (GMT+8) on Friday, remaining tickets are available from $45 at www.svns.com while fans can watch the action live around the globe here
SINGAPORE, 1 May 2024 – The Singapore Sports Hub’s National Stadium is set to host the hotly anticipated seventh and final regular season round of HSBC SVNS 2024 on 3-5 May as the men’s and women’s League Winners will be crowned.
In perhaps the most competitive HSBC SVNS season ever, it is all to play for as New Zealand and Australia are equal on points at the top of the women’s standings, while Argentina’s men hold an eight point advantage over Ireland, with both teams looking for their first ever SVNS league winners title.
Singapore will also witness the battle to secure an all-important top-eight position and a place at the HSBC SVNS Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May to 2 June.
This year’s edition sees the women’s teams compete in Singapore for the first time as the tournament expands to three thrilling days of rugby sevens action with the top 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams from around the world sharing the platform to showcase their outstanding speed, skill and strength ahead of performing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in July.
All 24 captains gathered at Siloso Beach on Sentosa Island on Wednesday to sign autographs and take selfies with young players involved in the Furious 5s community beach rugby event.
The women’s pool draw saw current standings leaders New Zealand in Pool A with Canada, Ireland – who won gold in Perth – and Spain. SVNS league title rivals Australia are drawn in Pool C together with Fiji, Great Britain and Brazil. Pool B includes the USA, who were finalists last time out in Hong Kong, alongside France, Japan and South Africa.
New Zealand women’s captain Risi Pouri-Lane said: “We didn’t get off to the best start this season but we’ve been building consistency really well since then. We’ve been on a journey since the start of the season.
“It would be huge to win the title this weekend, but there is still a bigger picture so we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We know what we need to get done this weekend and we just have to keep playing our game and sticking to what we know works for us.
“It’s great to have the women’s competition here in Singapore. The growth of women’s rugby has been awesome. We’re really looking forward to this weekend and we’re sure Singapore is going to put on a great show.”
Australia women’s captain Madison Ashby said: “It’s exciting to have the women’s competition here for the first time. We’ve heard a lot of great things about coming here so we can’t wait to get out in front of the crowd and experience the unreal atmosphere.
“It’s exciting to play for the League Winners title but we will just take it game by game and hopefully come out with the win at the end of the Series.”
Men’s SVNS standings leaders Argentina have been drawn in a tough looking Pool A together with recent Hong Kong winners New Zealand, Australia and Canada. League title contenders Ireland are in Pool C with double Olympic champions Fiji, the USA and Great Britain. Pool B is led by France, who have reached the podium at the last three rounds, alongside South Africa, Spain and Samoa.
Argentina men’s captain Santiago Alvarez said: “We are very happy to be in first position but we are trying not to think about that and just trying to be better as we are coming from two tournaments where we couldn’t play our game so we’re thinking how we can do better in Singapore.
“I’ve played several times here in Singapore, it’s a nice, closed stadium with a good atmosphere so we are looking forward to playing there this weekend. It is our objective to win the title but we are taking it match by match. It would be the best season in Los Pumas Sevens history.”
With less than 100 days until the Olympic Games Paris 2024 gets underway, the action in Singapore will be intense from start to finish with World Rugby’s revamped competition formula set to deliver fans even more excitement, jeopardy and entertainment.
Under the new HSBC SVNS 2024 model, seven regular-season events take place – in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and resulting in regular season League Winners being crowned in Singapore before a ‘winner-takes-all’ Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May to 2 June that will determine the HSBC SVNS champions.
The top eight teams based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the seventh round in Singapore will secure their place in the 'winner takes all' Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May-2 June.
Seven men’s and women’s teams have already secured their spots in the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid. Great Britain and Brazil will battle for the all-important eighth spot in the women’s standings while the USA currently occupy eighth place in the men’s standings but face competition from Great Britain, Spain and Samoa.
The four lowest ranked men’s and women’s teams at the end of the Singapore event will join the top four teams from the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 in a high stakes promotion and relegation tournament in Madrid.
HSBC SVNS 2024 has raised the bar with greater levels of excitement, jeopardy and competitiveness than ever before alongside a truly equal platform for both women’s and men’s competitions.
With the added incentive of players competing for their places at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in July, HSBC SVNS Singapore is set to be a thrilling three days of rugby sevens.
Play gets under way at 11:00 local time (GMT+8) on Friday, with the quarter-finals on Saturday before finals day on Sunday.
As excitement builds towards a spectacular event with live entertainment, global food offerings and next level experiences including a Beach Club, an extra 6,000 tickets per day were made available today as the stadium capacity was increased due to high demand. Remaining tickets are available from $45 at www.svns.com.
Fans can watch the HSBC SVNS action wherever you are in the world, either via broadcaster partners or online on RugbyPass TV.
In keeping with rugby sevens tradition, fans are encouraged to wear their best and brightest fancy dress costumes and enter into the festival spirit that is the DNA of rugby sevens.
Information and Photo source : Full Circle Public Relations / HSBC SVNS Singapore Sevens
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