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Australia chase historic SVNS double sweep heading into Bordeaux finale

Australia's men and women both won in Valladolid to put themselves in contention for a rare Championship sweep at the Bordeaux SVNS. The feat has only been achieved once before by the Aussies, in the 2021/22 series.

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Australia chase historic SVNS double sweep heading into Bordeaux finale
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Australia’s men’s and women’s sevens sides are chasing a second-ever Championship sweep after both claimed tournament victories at the Spain SVNS in Valladolid, setting up a decisive final round in Bordeaux.

The women’s side ended a five-match losing streak against New Zealand in the semi-finals before defeating the USA 27-14 in the final, moving to the top of the women’s Championship table with a slender two-point lead over the Black Ferns. The men’s side, meanwhile, came from 14-0 down to defeat defending champions South Africa’s Blitzboks 26-19 in the final, climbing to third on the men’s Championship table — eight points behind table leaders South Africa.

It marked the first all-Australian sweep at a single sevens tournament since the 2018 Sydney SVNS. Across the entire history of the HSBC SVNS circuit, only New Zealand and Australia have ever swept both series in a single season, with Australia’s sole instance coming in 2021/22.

“We weren’t really that worried when we were 14-0 down,” men’s star James Turner told ABC Sport. “We knew we just needed to get the ball. Twenty-six unanswered points showed that when we have the ball, we are pretty hard to stop.”

The path to a sweep in Bordeaux is complicated by injuries sustained in Valladolid. Women’s playmaker Tia Hinds has been ruled out with a calf injury, with Amahli Hala called up as a replacement. Maddison Levi is expected to play despite picking up a knee injury last weekend. On the men’s side, Dietrich Roache will miss Bordeaux with an ankle injury, replaced by Jayden Blake, while Turner himself is suspended until the finals after receiving a red card in the Valladolid grand final.

For the men to clinch the Championship, they will need to win the tournament outright while South Africa likely finish fourth or lower. Turner acknowledged the difficulty of the task but backed Australia to deliver.

“Everyone in our competition can win it, and that is sort of what makes it a bit more exciting,” Turner said.

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