Captains of the best 16 men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams in the world gathered at the Royal Palace in Madrid ahead of the inaugural HSBC SVNS Grand Final and Play-Off from Friday to Sunday.
The action on the pitch will be intense with more at stake than ever before, while fans will be treated to a feast of music, food and entertainment at the iconic Civitas Metropolitano Stadium, home of Atletico Madrid football club.
The three-day event will see the HSBC SVNS 2024 Champions crowned in a winner-takes all Grand Final involving the top eight placed men’s and women’s teams from the HSBC SVNS regular season.
Meanwhile the promotion and relegation Play-Off competition will see a further eight men’s and women’s teams playing for their HSBC SVNS status as the Qualifier final matches on Sunday are set to decide which four men’s and women’s teams secure their places on HSBC SVNS 2025.
The HSBC SVNS Grand Final pools see men’s 2024 League Winners Argentina in Pool A together with Australia, France and Great Britain. League runners-up Ireland are in Pool B alongside 2023 Series winners New Zealand, double Olympic Champions Fiji and South Africa.
Meanwhile in the women’s Grand Final fans can look forward to seeing archrivals Australia and New Zealand do battle along with the likes of reigning Olympic silver medallists France and Ireland who won the Perth SVNS title in January.
Reigning Olympic and Series champions New Zealand are in Pool A with the USA, Canada and Great Britain, while Australia, France, Fiji and Ireland are in a very competitive looking Pool B.
Australia women’s captain Charlotte Caslick said: “We’re feeling really good. We had some disappointing injuries in Singapore but we are really looking forward to seeing how it goes here. It is winner-takes-all so the girls are pumped for a big show-down. Hopefully, we can cross with New Zealand in the final.
“It will be awesome to get as many people there to support. Obviously, the games are going to be very tough with the top eight teams in the tournament. Every game is going to be a cracker.
“I am really looking forward to being back. I missed the girls when they were in Singapore but I am so proud of how they went. I’m happy to be back with the girls and hopefully leading from the front.
“We are buzzing about being in Madrid. The atmosphere around the city is great and we’re looking forward to bringing that atmosphere to the pitch."
Ireland men’s captain Harry McNulty said: “Preparation has been really good, the finale is obviously something really different and the opportunity to finish off strongly after an amazing year, finishing in second place. It is the finale of the whole thing and the stadium looks amazing, with a good energy.
“Fans can expect a lot of excitement, a fiesta as they like to say. Sevens is very fast moving, exhilarating, an end-to-end type of rugby and it is short as well so it keeps you interested for the whole game.
“The pools are going to be very difficult so you have to stand on your toes the whole weekend. It has been a highly contested year. I think the top eight have all made it to a medal game this season which means that everybody can beat everybody. It’s winner takes all, how cool is that!”
Under the new HSBC SVNS 2024 competition model, seven regular-season events took place, which resulted in Argentina and New Zealand becoming men’s and women’s league winners respectively at HSBC SVNS Singapore in May before the new standalone Grand Final in Madrid.
The newly introduced high-stakes promotion and relegation play-off competition will take place simultaneously in Madrid with teams ranked ninth to twelfth in SVNS 2024 competing with the top four teams from the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024.
The competition format involves two pools of four teams to decide who plays who in the all-important play-off matches on Sunday, with the winners of the resulting four cross-over matches securing their place in HSBC SVNS 2025, while the losing teams will enter the regional qualification pathway for the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.
Both Spain’s men’s and women’s teams are in HSBC SVNS Play-Off action in Madrid and will be looking to call upon home support to help maintain their HSBC SVNS status.
The men’s Play-Off pools see the USA in Pool A with Canada, Germany and Uruguay – who arrive fresh from being crowned Challenger champions earlier this month in Munich. Hosts Spain are in Pool B where they will face Samoa, Kenya and Chile.
The women’s Play-Off pools see Spain in Pool A against Japan, Poland and China – who wrapped up a clean sweep of victories to take the Sevens Challenger title in Krakow earlier this month. South American rivals Brazil and Argentina are in Pool B together with South Africa and Belgium.
Spain women’s captain Anne Fernandez de Corres said: “We are super excited to be playing at home in Madrid, for the first time in a World Rugby event.
“It was a very tough year, we’ve worked very hard but I think that we are in a good place, waiting for the weekend to start. We are playing to stay in the HSBC SVNS which is the biggest goal of this season. We are confident with our work and ready, taking one game at a time.
“It will be a party, a festival of rugby, music, food, entertainment. Rugby is a show, super-fast, super explosive and dynamic. Come, you will enjoy a weekend full of surprises and emotions.”
The three-day event kicks off at 12pm on Friday, with Spain men facing Kenya in the last match of day one at 9.18pm. Pool play continues throughout day two, which also kicks of at 12pm before the action reaches its climax with finals day on Sunday when play begins at 10.05am and reaches its finale with the HSBC SVNS championship finals at 7.49pm and 8.26pm.
With rugby sevens kicking off the Olympic Games in Paris on 24 July, Madrid represents the last stop on the road to the Paris for the teams already qualified and former World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year Antoine Dupont will feature again for France in Madrid, following his sensational impact at the recent SVNS events in Vancouver and Los Angeles. Popular Ireland player Hugo Keenan is also selected, marking his return to sevens for the first time since 2019.
Away from the pitch an impressive entertainment line-up will create a buzzing festival atmosphere over three fun-filled, sun-soaked days in Madrid. The hugely popular SVNS beach club returns with popular local DJ Luc Loren performing alongside live acts including Ptazeta and Chanel.
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