HSBC SVNS World Championship Series Valladolid 2026 Preview

The second leg of the 2026 three-tournament HSBC SVNS World Championship series takes place at Estadio Jose Zorrilla in Valladolid from May 29-31.

The South African men and New Zealand’s women won the first of three legs of the HSBC SVNS Championship more than a month ago at the 50th anniversary of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong 7s.

All of the results from the leg in Hong Kong can be seen here.

Pools – SVNS World Championship Series Valladolid 2026

Photo Credit – JRFU – Japan Sakura 7s squad – SVNS World Championship Series Hong Kong 2026

Women’s Pools

Australia, France and Canada head pack chasing the Black Ferns Sevens in the women’s tournament.

Japan Sakura 7s are in Pool A with champions New Zealand, Brazil, and Argentina. We think the Japanese can beat both South American sides, but they have never beaten the Black Ferns.

Pool A

• New Zealand
• Japan
• Brazil
• Argentina

The Black Ferns see the return of Jazmin Felix-Hotham and Danii Mafoe coming into the squad, while Braxton Sorensen-McGee missed out due to head injury protocols.

Pool B

• Australia
• USA
• Fiji
• South Africa

Australia co-captain Madison Ashby said, “We lost in the last tour, and these two matter most to us, so we put all our time and energy into focusing on the little things that we need to work on to hopefully come away with a win at the next one.” There is a return for former co-captain Demi Hayes.

The Springbok Women’s Sevens squad named for the second leg of the HSBC SVNS World Championships has a settled look, and Head Coach Cecil Afrika is looking for a positive performance. They are still missing some key players; Asisipho Plaatjies, Nadine Roos, Liske Lategan, Simamkele Namba and Shannon-Lee Windvogel are on the injury list.

Afrika said, “There is a big difference between our preparation for Hong Kong, where we had to replace four injured players and blood some youngsters in the week before departure and this squad of 14 players travelling.”

South Africa’s Vianca Boer said, “We prepared well since the team returned from Hong Kong, and I had a lot of time on the field with them, so I am confident that I can deliver what is expected of me. I am playing as a sweeper and in that role, you need to anticipate what players in other positions are likely to do to react quickest, so your focus is on the game, not on heavy legs.”

Pool C

• France
• Canada
• Spain
• Great Britain

The Spanish women had a hit out against the Black Ferns this week, and Spain captain Olivia Fresneda said, “We are absolutely thrilled to be playing here in Valladolid. Our ultimate goal is to return to the top tier of the HSBC SVNS Series, and we truly believe that competing in front of our home crowd will give us that extra surge of energy we need to secure our place in the world’s top eight. Having the support of our fans in the stands is going to be a massive factor for us this weekend.”

Men’s Pools

Behind the Blitzboks in the men’s competition, Argentina, Spain and New Zealand lead the chasing pack with all teams seeking to finish in the top eight and secure a place on the main HSBC SVNS tour next season.

Newly-crowned men’s champions South Africa have been pitted with Australia, Kenya and Great Britain in Pool A

Pool A

• South Africa
• Australia
• Kenya
• Great Britain

The Blitzboks saw a late change to their squad with Ronald Brown forced out of the Springbok Sevens squad for the HSBC SVNS World Championship tournaments in Spain and France, and Ricardo Duarttee called up to the travelling group.

Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman had also recalled Gino Cupido and Dewald Human to the travelling squad. They confirmed that several Blitzbok squad members not selected for this trip will be playing in invitational tournaments in Europe in the next two weekends.

Grant de Jager, Siya Ndlozi and Rowan Malgas will play for Shogun in the Amsterdam Sevens from 6-7 June, while Juan Smith and Renaldo Young will be in action for the Titians at the same event.

Pool B

• Argentina
• New Zealand
• Uruguay
• Germany

The All Blacks Sevens squad sees the return of Ngarohi McGarvey–Black and Jayden Keelan after long-term injury. Dylan Collier will captain the side in the absence of Tone Ng Shiu, who is unavailable due to a knee injury. 

Pool C

• Spain
• Fiji
• France
• USA

Spain skipper Juan Ramos, who was born and raised in the city, said, “This is our moment. As a team, Los Leones have grown tremendously over the last few years. After winning the silver medal last season, we strongly believe that now is the time to strike and claim our first-ever World Series gold on home soil. Doing it here, in my hometown, would be an absolute dream come true.”

All of the fixtures and results for the three days of action in Valladolid can be seen online here.

Japan Sakura 7s Squad

Japan Sakura 7s lost 19-24 to the USA in the 5th Place Final in the forst leg in Hong Kong and Head Coach Yuka Kanematsu said, “While we showed growth in our defence and demonstrated the Sakura Sevens’ strength of making a comeback in the second half, we also keenly felt our weakness in not being able to uphold what the Sakura Sevens values ​​in various high-pressure situations.”

The 15-player squad sees Shiori OKYUDO, Minako TANIYAMA, and Mayu Yoshino added to the players who competed in Hong Kong, with Himawari Matsuda the only player missing from that side.

We respect the confidence the Head Coach has in consistently selecting a similar team, but we feel like some players back in Japan would offer them a point of difference. When they play with their fast hands and uptempo game plan, they are hard to stop, but the top teams have figured them out, and they need a couple more physical players in the side to get them over the gain line, even in Sevens.

Player Names (caps)

• 1. Chiaki Saegusa (37)
• 2. Honoka Tsutsumi (41)
• 3. Marin Kajiki (37)
• 4. Harunako Utsumi (26)
• 5. Mei Ohtani (39)
• 6. Hana Nagata (39)
• 7. Mayu Yoshino (27) 
• 8. Wakana Akita (10) 
• 10. Minako Taniyama (13)
• 11. Yume Hirano (53)　
• 13. Natsuki Ouchida (7)
• 14. Michiyo Suda (28) ◎
• 19. Hazuki Ouchida (6)

The full touring squad details can be seen on the JRFU here.

Photo Credit – JRFU – Japan Sakura 7s squad – SVNS World Championship Series Valladolid 2026

How To Watch The HSBC SVNS World Championship Valladolid 2026

For details on your region’s broadcast partner, you can see more here.

Rugby Sevens News 2026

• South African Men Secure First Ever Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong 7s Title.
• Both Blitzboks and Black Ferns Claim HSBC SVNS New York Titles and HSBC SVNS Series Titles.
• HSBC Rugby Premier League Season 2 Adds Four Women’s Franchises: Squad Previews.
• Ultimate Sevens Confirms Teams.