Blitzboks and Black Ferns claim stunning final wins and series victories at HSBC SVNS New York

South Africa men’s team beat Fiji to seal the gold medal in New York and clinch the overall HSBC SVNS Series title, while New Zealand’s all-conquering women clinched another title with a hugely dramatic final win over Australia.

Both prizes were on the line but Philip Snyman’s Blitzboks edged out Fiji 10-7 in an enthralling final to cap an action-packed weekend of action in the first-ever tournament in New York. South Africa captain Impi Visser, playing his 50th tournament on the global circuit, sent Gino Cupido racing clear for the opening try and Tristan Leyds added a second before Terio Veilawa got Fiji back into the game to set up a tense finale.

The Blitzboks, though, showed remarkable defensive resolve to hold on for the win, adding to their Cape Town, Perth and Vancouver crowns, while Fiji made it six podium finishes in six HSBC SVNS Series tournaments.

After South Africa won their seventh final on US soil, HSBC Sevens Player of the Final Selvyn Davids said: “What a performance! We stuck to our guns because we knew Fiji were going to be physical but thankfully we came out on top.”

Inspirational skipper Visser added: “It was a massive defensive effort and testament to all our hard work. We couldn’t have scripted it any better and we’re just thankful we came up with the win.”

The Blitzboks and Fiji entered the final level on log points and tries on each side of the break handed the South Africans a 10-0 lead, setting them up for the series title.

Although the South Sea Islanders pulled one back later in the half, brilliant defence in their own half from the South Africans held sway in the end.

It was drama until the very end though as Fiji attacked in the final 30 seconds, but a knock-on with the tryline begging handed possession back to the Blitzboks. From the resulting scrum, Fiji conceded a penalty and much to the relief of all in green and gold, the ball was kicked into touch.

Earlier on Sunday, the Blitzboks booked their ticket to the final with a hard-fought semi-final victory over Argentina, scoring two first half tries and then defending like Trojans to win 14-5.

Sebastiaan Jobb opened the scoring in the second minute after turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye. Argentina attacked hard, but there was no way through the SA defence, forcing them into a stray pass.

The turnover involved Visser and Leyds and once Jobb got the ball, there was only one outcome. Leyds converted and it was 7-0 to the Blitzboks.

A 70m run by Selvyn Davids secured the next try and a 14-0 lead at the break but Argentina scored the opening try of the second half when Marcos Moneta finished off in the corner two minutes after the restart to make it 14-5.

The next five minutes was a frantic rush of penalties, turn-overs and a call back when the Springbok Sevens scored but the try was cancelled.

Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman was the proudest man in the Sports Illustrated Stadium on Sunday after the Blitzboks claimed the HSBC SVNS New York title as well as being crowned overall winners for the 2026 HSBC SVNS Series, pipping Fiji in both races.

The Blitzbok coach admitted to an overwhelming feeling of pride and gratitude as his team won the final with a never say die attitude.

“This was special, not because of the execution of play but the heart and intensity to play for each other that was shown out there,” said Snyman.

“They showed what Springbok Sevens stand for and played for that jersey and as a coach, you cannot be prouder of such an effort.

“The defensive effort was something else from minute one until the last play. In the final sequence of play, Fiji created an overlap here and there but the guys never gave up and they could not get through.

“How some of those players got into some defensive positions to cover, I don't know. But what I do know is that drive from within to get there. That is what we are about.”

A proud Snyman praised the players for buying into his vision for the squad, which included bringing in new players to build depth: “The senior players bought in and started to contribute and every new player coming in had the backing of support of the senior guys as well and that made it possible to continue with that plan.

“We are not done yet. We need to keep growing and improving. We will have a rest now but will come back as determined for the three tournaments of the World Championship.”

For Visser, finishing the tournament with blood streaming from his face was worth the effort. He said the final was won by determined defence.

“We gave them a bit too much possession, which is what Fiji thrives on but our defence won the day,” said Visser.

“We did not play our best rugby of the tournament in the final but our defence was outstanding and that secured the win.

“It was the ideal way to celebrate your 50th for sure. To win the tournament and the series and play in your 50th is a nice combination of achievements. It makes the hard work and sacrifices worth it.”

For Davids, who was named Player of the Final, the unity of the team effort made the feeling even better.

“We did not always play the perfect game or did what the coaches wanted us to do but we played for each other, our support system and our country every time we ran onto the field – that was a given,” said Davids.

The final also demanded the very best of each and every one and Davids said the players’ attitude until the final whistle was telling: “We left nothing out there and that is the most satisfying part of this overwhelming feeling of joy and content.

“Words cannot really describe how I feel. To be Player of the Final was because of the team and I could not have done this alone. We really worked hard for this and it was worth all the effort.”

The Blitzboks return to South Africa knowing that three more tournaments await in the form of the HSBC SVNS World Championship, with stops in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux.

“The season is not over, but we can allow ourselves to enjoy this one and when we come back, we start fresh with the World Championships our focus,” added Davids.

For Siviwe Soyizwapi, this world series victory compared well with the 2016/17 season, when the Blitzboks achieved back-to-back series wins.

“Back then I was just a youngster in the system, learning and doing my best to contribute,” said Soyizwapi. “This time around, after all these years and at my age, this one is perhaps more special. The effort was unreal.”

Soyizwapi is the most capped player in the current squad with 64 world series tournament appearances and had to overcome a string of injuries to make his way back into the team.

“We are blessed with so many tools in this team, we have a group of players that have so many different skill sets and when we use that wisely, we are hard to stop,” he said.

“If you add the care and belief that is in this group to that skill set, it becomes something very special.”

The 33-year-old said the emergence of a number of new players in the group worked wonders for everyone: “Every new player that comes in and contributes makes the system better as it puts pressure on the older players in the team. And that develops a healthy competition in the group and we benefit from it.”

The team will arrive back in Cape Town on Tuesday.

New Zealand’s women’s side claimed a fifth HSBC SVNS Series title in six main Series tournaments this season in New York after edging out Australia 22-21 in an extraordinary final. The Black Ferns were already crowned overall series winners on Saturday but their eyes were firmly fixed on a seventh all-time title in the USA. They claimed it with a hugely dramatic final win over fierce rivals Australia to clinch their fifth tournament win of the season and underline their status as the best team in the sport.

Australia fought bravely throughout and scored through Maddison Levi and Teagan Levi (two) against the Black Ferns. New Zealand, once again, though, showed their champion pedigree to win it with tries from Kelsey Teneti (two), Alena Saili and Katelyn Vahaakolo.

Player of the Final Teneti said: “It was a full fight and it didn’t take one person (to win it) – it took the whole team. Words can’t even describe the feeling and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of this amazing team.”

After yet another final win, captain Risi Pouri-Lane said: “It was about heart because finals footie can go either way, so we had to grind it out. But the belief in every single one of us was huge and we spoke about doing the simple things well.

“Those Aussie girls are so talented and we knew what we had to do to try and shut them down.”

Alan Gilpin, World Rugby CEO, hailed the success of the weekend in the Big Apple as New York staged its first-ever Sevens tournament.

“It’s been amazing, what’s not to love? Sevens rugby in one of the best cities in the world. It's been brilliant and just shows what’s possible for rugby in the US.

“The players have been excited to be in New York because it’s an iconic city.”

Attention now turns to the Championship in Hong Kong next month, scheduled for 17-19 April, after two days of thrilling action at the Sports Illustrated Stadium, in Harrison, New Jersey.

Scores

Semi-final: South Africa 14 (14), Argentina 5 (0)

SA – Tries: Sebastiaan Jobb, Selvyn Davids. Conversions: Tristan Leyds (2).

Argentina – Try: Marcus Moneta.

Final: South Africa 10 (5), Fiji 7 (0)

SA – Tries: Gino Cupido, Tristan Leyds.

Fiji – Try: Terio Veilawa. Conversion: Veilawa.

2026 HSBC SVNS schedule

29-30 November: Dubai - NZL/NZL

6-7 December: Cape Town - SA/AUS

31 January-1 February: Singapore - FIJI/NZL

7-8 February: Perth - SA/NZL

7-8 March: Vancouver - SA/NZL

14-15 March: New York - SA/NZL

17-19 April: Hong Kong (World Championship Series, Round 1)

29-31 May: Valladolid (World Championship Series, Round 2)

5-7 June: Bordeaux (World Championship Series, Round 3)