The SVNS series reemerged this weekend, receiving a warm reception from the residents of Perth. Against the backdrop of the stunning Australian sun, sevens teams for both men and women, hailing from various corners of the globe, enthusiastically embraced the revamped rugby festival.
Australia showcased their prowess in the shorter version of the game by reaching both finals, yet ultimately succumbed to the formidable teams of Argentina in the men's category and Ireland in the women's category.
Ireland coach Alan Temple-Jones was left almost speechless by the display from his side: “Playing Australia in Australia is an unbelievable opportunity for the girls,” he said.
“We’re extremely chuffed … lost for words. We’ve had a good focus these last two weeks. We had a lot to improve on after Dubai and Cape Town … unreal.”
Captain Lucy Mulhall said the win had been “a long time coming”, saying: “It means a lot and we’ve been on a long journey. This is massive for women’s Irish rugby; we’ll be sure to celebrate."
Argentina captain Santiago Alvarez said. “I don’t have words to describe how I’m feeling right now,
“I’m very happy, very proud of this team, these young men. Australia are a very tough team, we know them well, we’ve played them several times this year but we kept the focus on our process, our system. Can we keep it up? I don’t know. Today, we will celebrate. Tomorrow we will start talking about the next tournament.”
Fiji, although not quite making the finals this time, gave fans real value with their trademark flair. Check out this wild dummy pass:
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “We have witnessed a fantastic weekend of world class rugby sevens played in front of a sell-out crowd with a vibrant HSBC SVNS festival atmosphere and a superb music and entertainment line-up.
“Congratulations to Ireland women on their historic first SVNS title and to Argentina men on continuing their excellent recent form.
“We look forward to returning to Perth next year and our thanks go to the Premier of Western Australia Roger Cook, Tourism Western Australia, Venues West, Rugby Australia and our title partner HSBC for their support and commitment to delivering such a memorable event.
“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.”
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