Australia and Argentina win HSBC SVNS Perth in front of sell-out crowd
- Spectacular end to HSBC SVNS Perth with epic women’s final in front of a full house at HBF Park
- Australia beat Olympic champions New Zealand 28-26 to win thrilling women’s final and delight home fans
- Argentina prove too strong for hosts in men’s final with convincing 41-5 victory to retain Perth title
- Spain and France claim men’s and women’s bronze respectively
- New Zealand lead Australia by two points in women’s standings while Fiji, Argentina and Spain lead the men’s standings with equal points after three rounds
- Pools drawn for fourth round of HSBC SVNS in Vancouver on 21-23 February, visit svns.com for information
A sell-out finals day crowd for the second year in succession witnessed a blockbuster day of international rugby sevens as Australia and Argentina were crowned women’s and men’s HSBC SVNS Perth champions respectively in a highly charged atmosphere at HBF Park.
In a landmark first, the women’s final was the last showpiece match of the tournament, taking centre stage on Sunday evening and bringing down the curtain on an unforgettable HSBC SVNS Perth.
Australia added the Perth title to their Dubai crown as they beat great rivals New Zealand in a pulsating final – thanks to a new generation of players – to send the Perth crowd wild.
Teenager Heidi Dennis scored a try in each half for Australia who edged a thrilling end-to-end final by a 28-26 scoreline.
Australia had their work cut out without the services of two superstars Maddison Levi and Faith Nathan in the second final meeting between the two sides in three HSBC SVNS Series tournaments.
But Dennis and fellow teenager Mackenzie Davis, stepped up and showed composure beyond their years to help guide Australia to a famous final victory. The key ingredient, player of the match Dennis said immediately afterwards was: “Just grit, all the way to the end. They really made us fight for that one.”
France, meanwhile, beat Canada 14-7 to make it three bronze finishes in as many tournaments, and Japan stunned USA to claim fifth place.
In the men’s competition Argentina became the third different tournament winners in as many rounds in a highly competitive HSBS SVNS 2025.
The defending Perth champions dominated the final against hosts’ Australia to claim their first tournament win in this year’s HSBC SVNS Series.
Two first-half tries in quick succession set defending tournament champions Argentina – with head coach Santiago Gómez Cora watching from back home – on the way to back-to-back titles, as they dominated Australia to win 41-5 and claim their second Perth final in a row against the same opponents.
Argentina captain Santiago Mare warned that Los Pumas were improving after a slow start to their season. Immediately after the match, he said: “I’m very proud of my team. We are growing, tournament to tournament – we are looking forward to Vancouver.”
Once again impressive Spain claimed bronze with a dramatic 14-7 third-place play-off win against South Africa, while Fiji grabbed the upper hand in a rapidly developing post-Olympic rivalry with France.
After three rounds women’s Olympic champions New Zealand lead the current standings on 56 points, closely followed by reigning SVNS champions Australia on 54 points, with France in third on 48 points.
It is extremely tight at the top of the men’s standings with Fiji, Argentina and Spain level on 48 points at the top of the table, heading into the next tournament in Vancouver, in February. Spain continue to impress with the quality and consistency of their performances, reaching three consecutive semi-finals.
Men’s Olympic champions France defeated SVNS league winners Argentina to claim the inaugural men’s HSBC SVNS champions title in 2024.
Meanwhile New Zealand’s women secured their second successive Olympic title in Paris and are aiming to reclaim the SVNS Champions title they lost to Australia in 2024.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “To sell-out finals day for two years running is a fantastic achievement and a tribute to all the stakeholders involved in delivering what has been another exhilarating event, both on and off the pitch. Congratulations to Australia and Argentina on their well-deserved titles and it was fitting to bring down the curtain with an epic women’s final, showcasing the very best of world-class rugby sevens played by these incredible athletes.”
Our thanks and gratitude goes to Western Australia Premier Roger Cook, Tourism Western Australia, Venues West, Rugby Australia and our title partner HSBC.”
The pool draw for the fourth round of HSBC SVNS in Vancouver on 21-23 February took place shortly following the final whistle in Perth and sees some mouth-watering match ups.
Men’s pool A sees Argentina, France, Great Britain and Kenya. Pool B includes Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland. In pool C are Spain, Fiji, Uruguay and the USA.
In the women’s draw Australia face Canada, Brazil and Spain in pool A. New Zealand are in pool B with the USA, China and Ireland. Pool C includes France, Japan, Fiji and Great Britain.
HSBC SVNS VANCOUVER INFORMATION >>
HSBC SVNS 2025 features seven events across seven months in seven iconic global destinations. Six regular season rounds will be played in Dubai, Cape Town, Perth, Vancouver, Hong Kong and Singapore to decide the HSBC SVNS League Winners, before the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles, which will see the top eight men’s and women’s teams compete at Dignity Health Sports Park which will host the LA 2028 Olympic rugby sevens.
VIEW HSBC SVNS 2025 CALENDAR >>
Fans can watch the HSBC SVNS action wherever you are in the world, either via broadcast partners or on www.RugbyPassTV.
