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Pools and match schedule confirmed for SVNS Series opener in Dubai
By Finn Morton
With the new HSBC SVNS Series campaign set to get underway in just a matter of weeks, organisers of the season-opening Emirates Dubai 7s have announced the pool and match schedule for the women’s and men’s fixtures.
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On the 30th of November and the 1st of December, Dubai’s The Sevens Stadium will host the 12 best women’s and men’s teams at this level for the first time since the record-breaking tournaments at the Paris Olympic Games.
There were more than 530,000 supporters who packed the stands at Stade de France across those six days of sevens action at the Olympics, and tens of millions turned in to watch history in the making around the globe.
Olympic rivalries will be renewed on the SVNS Series stage as the world’s best battle it out for glory as they chase a dreamlike start to the 2024/25 season. The top two teams in each pool will progress to the quarter-finals, as well as the two best third-placed sides.
Australia will look to defend their crown at the Dubai Sevens after snapping New Zealand’s long-lasting winning streak in last year’s women’s Cup Final. South Africa has traditionally been the team to beat in the men’s draw, having won seven of the last eight titles in Dubai.
“Drawing the fixtures we have for the first round of HSBC SVNS 2025 will undoubtedly deliver a lot of excitement for sports fans around the world,” Mathew Tait, Festival director of Dubai 7s, said in a statement.
“This will be the first time that teams have played at this level since the Paris Olympics in the summer, and with so many stars of the sevens to watch, it’s going to be another action-packed weekend!”
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The opening day of the new season gets underway at 9:00 am local time as Olympic champions New Zealand take on Brazil. New Zealand almost fell to newly-promoted South Africa in their opening fixture last season, which shows sevens’ unpredictable nature in fixtures like this.
While the Black Ferns Sevens take on Thalia Costa’s Yaras on pitch two, Olympic silver medallists Canada will open their account against Japan on the main field. New Zealand will play Canada in a rematch of the Olympic final later on at 4:07 pm.
In the morning session, there’s a mouthwatering matchup between USA and Great Britain and 9:22 am, and Ireland take on Fiji about 22 minutes later. Defending SVNS Series champions Australia will kick their season off against China.
China are not a team to be underestimated, either. They may have fallen to New Zealand and Canada during the Olympic pool stage, but a mammoth 40-12 win over Fiji saw them progress to the quarter-finals where they were beaten by Team NZ for a second time.
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Towards the end of the day, France will go head-to-head against Olympic bronze medallists (4:51 pm) and Australia will face Ireland. The Irish got the better of Australia in the SVNS Perth Cup Final in January, but the women in gold have dominated this rivalry since.
As for the men, their draw gets underway at 10:06 am with New Zealand taking on the USA. This will be the Eagles Sevens’ first match under new coach Simon Amor, who has formerly worked with both Japan and England.
Fiji will take on Spain at the same time on the second pitch. While Fiji will go into this match as strong favourites, don’t write off the Spaniards just yet – they recorded a stunning 21-19 win over the traditional sevens heavyweights in the Los Angeles quarters last season.
In Pool B, 2024 SVNS Series League Winners Argentina will open their season against South American rivals Uruguay at 10:28 am, and Ireland will take on familiar foe Great Britain in another highly anticipated fixture which practically previews itself.
Defending champions South Africa will begin their title defence against Australia in the late morning. Then, at 2:58 pm, fan favourites Kenya will make their return to the top flight when they take on the Blitzboks in an incredibly intriguing fixture.
Day one comes to a close with New Zealand taking on Fiji, Argentina facing Ireland, and Olympic champions France looking to rain on South Africa’s Dubai Sevens parade at 8:44 pm. They could all be pivotal fixtures in the race to top the pool, or potentially to make the quarters at all.
Following the opening day of play, fans can make their way to the ‘Rugby Rocks’ stage where the headline for Saturday is British pop band the Sugababes. Award-winning artist Stormzy will perform on the ‘Frequency on 8’ stage at 9:30 pm on Sunday.
The full schedule can be viewed or downloaded via the emiratesdubai7s website and/or app, where fans can also find a breakdown of the three pools and a timetable. This is a festival experience that blends sport, entertainment and family activities into a three-day event.
Tickets start from AED 435 for a day pass or AED 550 for weekend passes. Friday is free entry for all, and kids under four can go for free all weekend. Tickets are AED 325 for People of Determination, including a carer.
This is the largest sports and entertainment event in the Middle East so it’s not to be missed. The event attracts more than 80,000 attendees from 128 counties, and it’s also the longest running sports event in the region.
It’ll be held during the UAE National Day weekend.
WOMEN’S POOLS
POOL A: Australia, Ireland, Fiji, China
POOL B: France, USA, Great Britain, Spain
POOL C: New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Brazil
MEN’S POOLS
POOL A: France, South Africa, Australia, Kenya
Pool B: Argentina, Ireland, Great Britain, Uruguay
POOL C: Fiji, New Zealand, USA, Spain
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