Get ready for revamped HSBC SVNS festival!

Cape Town has been confirmed as one of the eight iconic destinations that comprise HSBC SVNS, World Rugby’s revamped and rebranded global celebration of rugby sevens that launched this week.

The 2023 edition will be the seventh time that the Mother City has hosted the HSBC Sevens Series, with the party landing on our shores between 9 and 10 December.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin says their ambition is for SVNS to appeal to a ”younger, leisure-hungry audience.”

In eight iconic destinations played over seven months, we will bring together a truly immersive festival of rugby, music, food and experiences to create the ultimate weekend-long get together for young people, the hottest ticket and open a new era for the sport.

The City of Cape Town has welcomed the announcement of Cape Town’s inclusion, which has attracted 650 000 spectators in the eight years it has been hosted in the Mother City.

The event has also contributed over R3 billion in economic activity to Cape Town.

The Mayoral Committee Member JP Smith says it’s another feather in Cape Town’s cap to be included in the new look SVNS series.

Cape Town Sevens has been one of the flagship events hosted in our city for nearly a decade, has proven a popular event with record attendance every single year and provides the best live experience for spectators. The City of Cape Town has been supporting the event since it moved from Gqeberha to Cape Town and we are looking forward to continue our partnership with the organisers to ensure an exciting experience for spectators.

For this season, the top eight placed teams, based on cumulative series points, and at the conclusion of Singapore SVNS will secure their opportunity to compete in the new ‘winner takes all’ Grand Final in Madrid, where the women’s and men’s SVNS 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 Series. The top four placed teams of this play-off will secure their place on next year’s SVNS.

Under the new model, SVNS delivers gender parity with all seven rounds and the Grand Final featuring combined men’s and women’s competitions and equal participation fees, with a 70 per cent uplift in World Rugby’s investment in participation fees as a ”commitment to sustainable growth.”