Following the thrilling conclusion of Rugby World Cup 2023 attention now turns to the first event of the revamped and rebranded HSBC SVNS 2024, which gets underway on 2-3 December with the highly anticipated return of Emirates Dubai 7s as the pools and match schedule are announced.
- The new look HSBC SVNS 2024 features seven regular-season events plus a Grand Final with promotion and relegation at stake
- The action begins at 08:06 (SA Time) on Saturday, with the final on Sunday at 17:53 (SA Time)
The pools and schedule for the opening round of the reimagined HSBC SVNS 2024 have been announced today ahead of the highly anticipated Emirates Dubai 7s as rugby sevens return to the world stage.
The biggest sports and entertainment festival in the Middle East, Emirates Dubai 7s has been a mainstay on HSBC SVNS since its inception in 1999 and will feature the best 12 men’s rugby sevens teams competing on two fields across two days and 64 matches.
The men’s competition sees 2023 champions New Zealand, who were winners in Sydney, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore and Toulouse last year, headline Pool A alongside Canada, last year’s Cape Town winners Samoa and the defending Emirates Dubai 7s champions South Africa, in a repeat showdown of the of the recent Rugby World Cup final in Paris in the 15-a-side game.
Hamilton, Vancouver and London winners from last season, Argentina, are in Pool B and will face Spain, Australia and Ireland in Dubai, while double Olympic gold medal winners Fiji will face France, USA and Great Britain in Pool C.
With the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on the horizon, the HSBC SVNS action will be intense from start to finish with World Rugby’s revamped competition formula set to provide rugby sevens fans with more excitement and entertainment than ever before.
Under the new model, HSBC SVNS 2024 features seven regular season events plus a Grand Final. The top eight placed teams based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the seventh round in Singapore will secure their opportunity to compete in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final in Madrid, where the men’s HSBC SVNS 2024 champions will be crowned.
Madrid will also play host to the high stakes relegation play-off competition where teams ranked ninth to 12th will join the top four teams from the World Rugby Sevens Challenger, with the top four placed teams securing their place on HSBC SVNS 2025.
World Rugby Chief Competitions and Performance Officer, Nigel Cass said: “We are excited to kick off what will be a thrilling year for rugby sevens at the Emirates Dubai 7s in December front of a packed house of knowledgeable, enthusiastic and passionate rugby fans.
“With a new and exciting format featuring promotion and relegation plus a ‘winner takes all’ competition at the Grand Final in Madrid, we know the action will be fierce at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai from the opening match on Saturday morning to the final whistle on Sunday evening to get the season underway in style.”
In an international celebration of sport, music and entertainment, the 2023 edition of Emirates Dubai 7s will feature its biggest line-up to date with world-class international athletes, global artists and award-winning hospitality experiences heading to Dubai this December for the premier weekend festival.
HSBC Sevens Dubai Men Fixtures - Day 1
08:06 Fiji vs USA
08:06 France vs Great Britain
08:28 Argentina vs Spain
08:28 Australia vs Ireland
08:50 New Zealand vs Canada
08:50 Samoa vs Blitzboks
11:30 Great Britain vs USA
11:52 Fiji vs France
12:14 Ireland vs Spain
12:36 Argentina vs Australia
12:58 Blitzboks vs Canada
13:20 New Zealand vs Samoa
16:54 France vs USA
17:16 Australia vs Spain
17:38 Samoa vs Canada
18:00 Fiji vs Great Britain
18:22 Argentina vs Ireland
18:44 New Zealand vs Blitzboks
