On behalf of World Rugby it is my pleasure to welcome you to the fourth round of HBSC SVNS 2024 in Vancouver. We are delighted to be back at BC Place for what promises to be an exhilarating weekend on and off the pitch.
HSBC SVNS is World Rugby’s revamped global celebration of rugby sevens featuring the best 12 men’s and women’s teams competing across eight iconic destinations annually.
SVNS events deliver the ultimate in immersive, feel-good experiences, a unique festival of sport, entertainment, music, culture and cuisine set against the spectacular backdrops of some of the most stunning locations around the globe and I have no doubt that Vancouver will once again welcome the teams with its famously vibrant atmosphere this weekend.
The simple aim of the remodelled SVNS is to grow the game by reaching more fans, generating greater revenues to reinvest in performance, and deliver bigger, better and more engaging and entertaining event experiences for fans in the stadium, interacting online or watching on broadcast around the world.
Rugby sevens is a thrilling, fast-paced, action packed sport and under the new model, there will be more excitement, drama and jeopardy on the pitch than ever before. HSBC SVNS features seven regular season events – in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Singapore - before the Grand Final in Madrid.
The top eight placed teams based on cumulative series points after seven events will compete in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final, where the women’s and men’s 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 HSBC Sevens Challenger, with the top four placed teams securing their place on HSBC SVNS 2025, meaning every match counts throughout the season, which is proving to be more competitive than ever in 2024.
Australia and Argentina have proved to be the teams to beat so far in the women’s and men’s competitions respectively, each claiming two gold and one silver finishes in the first three rounds.
This is a huge year for rugby sevens with the launch of the reimagined HSBC SVNS and the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in July. Sevens is a key driver of global growth for our sport and there has never been a more exciting time as we continue to innovate and evolve our events to supercharge rugby sevens’ worldwide appeal and attract new fans. And it is very exciting to see some of the top players from XVs rugby aiming to test themselves in sevens and chase their Olympic dreams.
I would like to express our gratitude to our title partner HSBC for their excellent support and commitment to SVNS and a big thank you to our hosts who have put in a tremendous effort to organise this popular event, and to the players, match officials, staff and volunteers without whose dedication this fantastic event would not be possible.
Enjoy the SVNS!
Sir Bill Beaumont, CBE, DL
Chairman
World Rugby