New Zealand women and Argentina men claimed the 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens titles to back up their victories in Vancouver in February and extend their leads in the HSBC SVNS 2025 standings.
In the Women’s tournament, New Zealand beat cross-Tasman rivals Australia 26–19 in another epic, drama-filled encounter, as Jorja Miller produced two moments of magic to make it three Hong Kong titles in a row for the Black Ferns Sevens. Although she had her teammates to thank for not only surviving but scoring during her time in the sin bin for a tip tackle.
HSBC Women’s Player of the Final, Miller said: “We knew we had to come out for finals footie and I’m so proud of the group. We love Hong Kong and the history of it. The crowd and the atmosphere here, it gets us going, it brings out our best rugby.”
In the Men’s, Argentina added a third successive title win of the SVNS season with a well-contested, tight 12–7 victory over France, which really only came to life in the second half. Los Pumas Sevens made it 16 games unbeaten, as they edged out Olympic Champions France to win their maiden Hong Kong Sevens crown and extend their lead at the top of the series table to 12 points, ahead of powerhouse Fiji.
HSBC Men’s Player of the Final Marcos Moneta scored the crucial second try in the final and said: ‘It’s amazing to win here, it means so much to us as Hong Kong is a really historic tournament. I got my debut here, and last year I broke my fibula here before the Olympic Games, so it was a mixture of emotions. My parents decided to be here with me. These are the things I was thinking about during the National Anthem. It is the perfect day.”
Canada claimed the Women’s bronze with a 21–17 win over France, while Australia beat Fiji 22–21 with a last-gasp try from 19-year-old Sidney Harvey to take the Men’s bronze.
New Zealand’s route to the final saw them comprehensively beat Canada 41–0 in a repeat of the Paris 2024 Olympic final, while Australia were made to work hard in a 28–5 defeat of France.
In the Men’s Semi-Finals, Argentina proved too strong for Australia with a 31–7 win, and France scored a well-reviewed try with the clock in the red to break Fijian hearts and secure their place in the final by a 24–17 scoreline.
More than 110,000 fans across three days created an incredible atmosphere and were treated to exceptional entertainment on and off the pitch at the impressive and stylish new Kai Tak Stadium, where British Indie band The Kaiser Chiefs were the final day’s headline act.
World Rugby Chairman Brett Robinson was in attendance and said: “This is one of the great sevens events of the global calendar, and it has been for 50 years. So for me, personally, to be here for the first time is a great privilege. It’s also fantastic to be here at this incredible new stadium, uniquely designed for rugby sevens. We’ve had over 110,000 fans in attendance and seen some great rugby played over the last three days, showcasing the best of sevens.”
Alongside Hong Kong glory, teams were also playing for vital ranking points in the race to finish in the top eight positions at the end of the sixth round of HSBC SVNS 2025 in Singapore this weekend, which would qualify them for the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles on May 3 and 4.
The results in Hong Kong mean that all eight of the Men’s teams and six of the Women’s teams have already secured their places in the World Championship. The Men’s teams are Argentina, Fiji, Spain, South Africa, France, New Zealand, Australia, and Great Britain. The six confirmed Women’s teams are New Zealand, Australia, France, USA, Canada, and Japan.
