Latest news with #HSBCSVNS
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canadian men's rugby sevens coach Sean White to leave role in July
LANGFORD - Canadian men's rugby sevens head coach Sean White will leave his role with the team in July. Rugby Canada says the change will be made when the first term of White's contract ends. The organization says it feels the change is in the best interest of the program as it aims to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Canadian men were relegated from the elite HSBC SVNS circuit last June. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canadian men's rugby sevens coach Sean White to leave role in July
LANGFORD – Canadian men's rugby sevens head coach Sean White will leave his role with the team in July. Rugby Canada says the change will be made when the first term of White's contract ends. The organization says it feels the change is in the best interest of the program as it aims to qualify for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The Canadian men were relegated from the elite HSBC SVNS circuit last June. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
'Not involved': World Rugby accused of 'late stage' player involvement in sevens overhaul
HSBC SVNS Photo: Zach Franzen / World Rugby The global representative body International Rugby Players (IRP) claims players were not involved in devising World Rugby's new HSBC SVNS competition model. However, a World Rugby spokesperson told RNZ Pacific this is incorrect, stating that consultation with players and representatives did take place. In a statement, IRP chief executive Omar Hassanein said they were presented with the details of the new format at a late stage - just before its submission to the World Rugby Executive Board for ratification. World Rugby stated, during its 1 May announcement of the new competition format, that consultation took place throughout the process as part of stakeholder discussions. "Players were consulted on the proposed model changes throughout via the IRP," the World Rugby spokesperson said. World Rugby said after significant discussions in 2024, the model was presented to the IRP before it went out for a final round of consultation in February and March this year. It said during this final round of consultation feedback was received from IRP before the Rugby Sevens High Performance Committee (which included player representatives) considered the final proposal. They then recommended it to the Executive Board (which involved IRP representatives), which approved the final recommendation. However, Hassanein said in a statement issued by the IRPA that although early exchanges took place, "discussions on the actual mechanics of the model did not include the players". The statement, released 11 days after World Rugby announced the new three-division series, called for players to be at the heart of any future discussions on the future of the Sevens game. The global representative body for professional rugby players said the only way to make the code successful was to have players at the centre of all detailed decision-making. "During World Rugby's recent development of a new tournament model, IRP can confirm that players were not involved in devising the model and were instead presented with its details at a late stage, immediately prior to its submission for ratification by the World Rugby Executive Board," Hassanein said. "Following the incredible success of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, there is a fantastic opportunity to grow Rugby Sevens globally, one which we must collectively embrace. "Players understand the game better than anyone, and therefore must be involved at each step to ensure the best outcome. This should include all discussions, not only on tournament structuring and welfare matters, but also the commercial aspects of the game," Hassanein added. IRPA's sentiments were endorsed by US Rugby Players Association president Chris Mattina. He said unions "want the series and Rugby Sevens to grow and believe that this is best done through collaborating with the players competing in these events". "We hope that World Rugby hears the voices of the players and includes them in the process moving forward. for the good of the game," Mattina said. Former All Black and IRP executive member Conrad Smith said the whole process has been very challenging to say the least. "We have had a number of exchanges with World Rugby. Obviously, the definition of "consultation" lies at the heart of the matter," Conrad Smith said. "In saying this, we don't see any benefit for the game of sevens in playing this out in public" adding that the IRP is "keen to now work with World Rugby to make the future of 7's as good as it can be". New Zealand v Fiji in a men's match at the 2025 HSBC SVNS Los Angeles at Dignity Health Sports Park on 3 May 2025. Photo: Alex Ho / World Rugby World Rugby said the sevens model has evolved to strengthen the longterm financial viability of the code, which needed a reset to support unions. It said teams were briefed on three separate occasions at sevens events in Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore, with constant communication. It said the public announcement was the end of the process, not the first time teams heard. Pacific team Samoa, who were geared to finish in the top four of the World Sevens Challenger Series final playoff in Los Angeles in early May, missed out on requalification for the core SVNS Series after the change was announced at the event. Had the old format of 12 teams still been used, Samoa would have qualified as a core team in the 2025/2026 competition But since the new format was announced, it meant they lost out, and their loss in the final four play-off means they miss out of both the core series and the new division two. Fiji beat New Zealand 33–5 in a men's Pool C match at the 2025 HSBC SVNS Perth at HBF Park on January 25, 2025 in Perth, Australia. Photo: Alex Ho / World Rugby According to World Rugby, the new structure introduces a devolved, three-division hosting model that expands the series from 10 to 13 events in 2026. Division 1 will see core team numbers reduced from 12 to eight per gender in a six-tournament series, with all events adopting a two-day format. Division 2 features six teams per gender, competing across three events while Division 3, a standalone challenger event, will have eight teams per gender, qualifying from regional competitions. World Rugby Sevens general manager Sam Pinder said they are firmly committed to the success of rugby sevens on the road to the LA 2028 Olympic Games. "While change can be difficult, this is an evolution that ultimately secures the sustainable advancement of a sport that has proven to be a hit at the Olympic Games, showcasing some of the most gifted athletes on the planet," Pinder said. "We are grateful for all the engagement throughout an extensive stakeholder consultation process and now look ahead to an exciting future for the short format of the sport." A global host tender process will launch this month to determine the tournament hosts.
RNZ News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Samoa falls short in sevens qualifier
Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON Samoa has missed out on qualifying for Sevens Division Two at the end-of-season event in Los Angeles. After finishing second in their group, Samoa's men's team faced a playoff final against Germany but were beaten 31-0. Last week, the HSBC SVNS organisation announced a change to the format, which no longer included a playoff for the top tier at the LA tournament - so challenger teams, including Samoa, could not win through to the top level. Instead, there will be three division levels going forward, and LA playoff winners qualified for next season's division two. Uruguay, USA, Kenya, and Germany qualified for the 2026 men's division two series, while the women's teams making the grade were Brazil, China, Kenya, and Spain. Read more: Samoa and the other unsuccessful playoff teams will begin the 2026 season in regional competitions, from which they will have a chance to progress through the levels. The only other Pacific Island nation in LA, Fiji, failed to make the main semifinals in both the men's and women's tournaments. They finished seventh and fifth respectively. Fiji's Joji Nasova was joint top try scorer in the men's series, alongside Argentina's Marcos Moneta. Nasova also finished as top points scorer with 158 points over the season. In the main tournament, New Zealand's women's team was crowned world champions after crushing Australia 31-7 in the final. They had already wrapped up the overall league title after winning four of the six previous rounds. South Africa won the men's championship, defeating Spain 19-5 in the final. This now wraps up the current sevens season. Next season (2025-26) the new format will kick in, comprising: Fiji's men's and women's teams will both be in division one next year, while Samoa is relegated back to a regional level aiming to reach division three.
CBC
05-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Hogan-Rochester helps Canada rugby 7 women finish third in season finale
Asia Hogan-Rochester scored three tries as the Canadian women's rugby sevens team rallied from an early deficit Sunday to defeat the U.S. 27-7 and earn bronze at the HSBC SVNS World Championship. The Canadians, silver medallists at the Paris Olympics, had also finished third in Hong Kong and Singapore, the two events preceding the season finale. Canada finished fourth in last season's finale in Madrid in June, beaten 26-14 by No. 1 New Zealand in the bronze-medal game. The Springbok Sevens defeated Spain 19-5 in the men's final while New Zealand's Black Ferns — who had already claimed the sevens series title — added to their trophy haul with a 31-7 victory over Australia in the women's final. The final event of the season saw the top eight men's and women's sides from the elite HSBC SVNS compete in the winner-take-all world championship at Dignity Health Sports Park, which will host rugby sevens at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The Canada women, fourth after the first six events of the season, defeated No. 5 Japan 26-0 and No. 8 Britain 26-17 before falling 41-5 to New Zealand in group play. The women lost 33-7 to Australia earlier Sunday in semifinal play with Hogan-Rochester accounting for the Canadian points with a converted try and Faith Nathan scoring three tries for Australia. That set up the third-place game against the sixth-ranked U.S., who lost 34-9 to New Zealand in the other semifinal Sariah Ibarra sliced through the Canada defence for an early 7-0 U.S. lead. But poor discipline cost the Americans with Ibarra sent to the sin bin for an infraction soon after, reducing the U.S. to six players for the next two minutes. Canada took advantage, pulling ahead 10-7 on tries via Charity Williams and Carissa Norsten with Ibarra off the field. Hogan-Rochester added another try on the eve of halftime for a 15-7 Canada lead. Hogan-Rochester added two more tries in the second half, boosting her career total to 39. There was no joy for the Canadian men, relegated from the top tier last June. They had hoped to earn their way back into the HSBC SVNS field via a promotion/relegation tournament held in conjunction with the World Championship. Canadian have fight to re-enter top tier But World Rugby changed the playing field, announcing on the eve of the tournament a revamped format to the sevens circuit next season. Instead of promotion, the best the Canadian men could do was make the new Division 2 next season, with a chance to then earn promotion to the revamped eight-team top tier. And that slipped through their fingers Sunday in a 24-5 loss to Kenya in a playoff final. In the first year of an Olympic quadrennial, the Canadian women have improved as the season wore on, with coach Jocelyn Barrieau managing a stream of new talent while players cycle between the sevens and 15s sides. The Canadian women finished eighth to open the current season in Dubai, before placing fifth in Cape Town, fourth in Perth, seventh in Vancouver and third in both Hong Kong and Singapore. New Zealand won tournaments in Cape Town, Vancouver, Hong Kong and Singapore, while Australia triumphed in Dubai and Perth, Australia. New Zealand and Australia have gone a combined 11-0-0 against Canada in dominating the circuit this season. While the top eight teams vied for the world championship, teams nine through 12 in the HSBC SVNS faced the top four teams from the second-tier Challenger Series — including the Canadian men — in the playoff bracket. That was slated to be a promotion/relegation playoff until World Rugby changed the rules. Now the Canadian men find themselves starting over at the bottom again. They will have to win the Rugby Americas North Sevens to make Division 3, which consists of a standalone Challenger event with eight men's and eight women's teams. And then they will have to win their way back into Division 2, which will features six men's and six women's teams competing in three events. James Thiel scored a consolation try, his first for Canada, against Kenya with time winding down. The Canadians finished second in Group B behind Uruguay, beating Ireland 19-12 and Germany 22-17, losing 24-7 to the South Americans. Uruguay, the U.S., Kenya and Germany will compete in the new Division 2 next season.
