April 5, 2025 – Singapore — New Zealand’s Black Ferns Sevens and Argentina’s men’s team were officially crowned HSBC SVNS 2025 League Winners after sealing semi-final spots on an action-packed opening day at HSBC SVNS Singapore 2025, held at the Singapore Sports Hub’s National Stadium.
The Black Ferns Sevens secured their title with dominant performances in Pool A, scoring a combined 86 unanswered points in victories over China and Brazil. With their place in the semi-finals guaranteed, the reigning Olympic champions sealed the league title ahead of the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles.
In the men’s competition, Argentina overcame an early setback—losing 26-24 to South Africa in a thrilling Pool A opener—before bouncing back to beat Great Britain 19-12 and advance to the semi-finals. The result was enough to clinch the men’s league title for the second consecutive season, highlighting their consistency and depth over the 2025 campaign.
The semi-finals on Sunday promise world-class matchups. In the women’s bracket, New Zealand will take on France, while Canada faces Australia, the Olympic silver medallists. In the men’s draw, Kenya—to the delight of fans—reached their first semi-final since 2018, defeating both Ireland and France to top their group. The Shujaa will meet Spain, while Argentina will face off against Fiji in a high-stakes clash.
Kenya’s return to the semi-finals marks a major milestone in their rugby sevens journey. Nygel Pettersan Amaitsa, who kicked the winning penalty against France, expressed pride in the team’s resilience:
“Through the Challenger Series we always believed we belonged here. After the Ireland match, we knew we had to defeat France — there was no other option.”
Risi Pouri-Lane, New Zealand’s vice-captain, reflected on their achievement:
“There’s relief and joy. We’re our harshest critics, always striving for more. This is a reward for the entire squad’s hard work.”
Argentina’s Tobias Wade praised his team’s consistency:
“We’ve kept the same group since the Olympics, trained hard, and stayed competitive all year. Winning the league is special — now we focus on the semi-finals.”
Meanwhile, Fiji and Great Britain women secured the final two spots for the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles on May 3–4, eliminating Brazil from contention.
The eight men’s teams qualified for the HSBC SVNS World Championship are, Argentina, Fiji, Spain, South Africa, France, New Zealand, Australia, and Great Britain.
The women’s line-up includes, New Zealand, Australia, France, USA, Canada, Japan, Fiji, and Great Britain.
The HSBC SVNS Singapore finals day kicks off at 10:00 (GMT+8) on Sunday, April 6, with semi-finals from 13:45 and the women’s and men’s finals scheduled for 19:05 and 19:41 respectively.
