SUNDAY WRAP: Following an intense sevens rugby weekend, Fiji defeated Spain in a thrilling final to win the inaugural HSBC SVNS season in Dubai.
The Flying Fijians ended a 22-tournament skid dating back to Toulouse in 2022 to take the crown, after Argentina had demonstrated all their street smarts to shut out New Zealand in the bronze final.
Final: Flying Fijians end brave Spain’s title hopes
In the final match, Fiji defeated a valiant Spain 19–5, earning their first championship on the international sevens circuit since taking first place in Toulouse in 2022. But in their first-ever HSBC SVNS final, Spain gave Fiji a serious fright after a weekend of surprises in the men’s competition in Dubai. Spain had taken the lead in the semi-final after the legendary Pol Pla scored his 100th sevens try for his country. To give them an early lead in the highlight match, he added try number 101. However, the underdogs did not have a perfect outcome.
Just before halftime, HSBC Player of the Final Filipe Sauturaga tied the score. Jeremaia Matana and Ilikimi Vunaki then scored goals in the second half to give the Flying Fijians an overwhelming lead and win the title, their first in Dubai since 2015 and their first after a 22-tournament drought. “It’s been a long time coming,” said Fiji coach Osea Kolinisau, who was thrilled his team had ended their lengthy title drought. I’m overjoyed for the lads. Now that the monkey is off our back, I’m overjoyed.
He went on to say that he wanted his team to contend for additional championships this year. “We wish to maintain consistency. Over the past six months, we have put in a lot of effort. At the Olympics, we were let down. I told the lads that perseverance pays off, and in this case, it did.
Bronze final: Clever Argentina shut out All Blacks Sevens
In a close, hard-fought bronze final, Argentina showed off their high sevens rugby IQ by shutting out New Zealand, scoring once in each half to secure third place 14-0. Matías Osadczuk gave the South American team a 7-0 lead after going under the posts to score the lone try in the first half of a fierce match. With a long-range breakout run, Sofai Maka was likely to cut the deficit, but Marcos Moneta, who is more recognised for his attacking prowess but who typified Argentina’s defensive work that evening, thrillingly pursued him down.
With one minute remaining, Agustin Fraga dashed over to ensure that they had defeated New Zealand in Dubai for the third consecutive occasion.
Semi-finals: Spain make it two against New Zealand, Fiji overwhelm Argentina
As their incredible Dubai run continued with a second victory over New Zealand in as many days, the incredible Pol Pla became the first Spanish player to score a century of international sevens tries, denying New Zealand their first Dubai final since 2019. After Manu Moreno had eliminated the All Blacks Sevens’ lead through future star Oli Mathis, the veteran’s touchdown early in the second half gave Spain a lead they would not relinquish. Dylan Collier’s touchdown, which brought the score to 19-17 after the conversion while the clock was already in the red, was only ever going to be a consolation after Jeremy Trevithick gave Spain a crucial lead late in the game.
In the second semifinal, Fiji defeated Argentina, the Grand Final runners-up and HSBC SVNS league winners from the previous season. They won 43-21, with two of their eight tries coming from Joji Nasova.
Quarterfinals: Five-time champions South Africa crash out
South Africa lost 24–17 to New Zealand, who prevailed at the end of a thrilling end-to-end quarterfinal thanks to a late double from Sofai Maka, ending their illustrious run as champions in Dubai, which began in 2019. Spain defeated Great Britain 19–14 thanks to a heroic try from Anton Legorburu Anso on the final play of the match. In a thrilling match that lived up to expectations, Fiji defeated France 19–17 to get revenge for their defeat in the 2024 Olympic Games final. With the clock in red, a breakaway attempt by Viwa Naduvalo determined the outcome. The hat-trick from Harry Paterson was insufficient as Australia lost 22–20 to Argentina.
Play-offs: Young France finishes on a positive
South Africa dominated their fifth-place play-off match against France, denying them a chance to win a sixth consecutive Dubai trophy. They had a 10-0 lead at the break, but they were swiftly overtaken in the second half. With two minutes remaining, however, Zain Davids restored the Blitzboks’ lead. It appeared to be sufficient, but Stephen Parez Edo Martin scored a goal to end the game 17–15 after Varian Pasquet dove over by the posts with the clock in red. In a 17–12 victory over Great Britain, with Henry Paterson scoring the game-winning try 90 seconds from time, Australia concluded their Dubai campaign on a high note, securing critical series points to take into Cape Town next week.
Following victories over the USA (15-12) and Ireland (21-7) respectively, Uruguay defeated fellow promoted team Kenya 15-7 in the ninth-place play-off. With a victory that raised spirits and made the lengthy travel to Cape Town more enjoyable, Ireland defeated the USA 19–12 to take 11th place.