France stun All Blacks Sevens 14-5 to snatch SVNS Bordeaux title on home soil

France won the SVNS Bordeaux title on home soil, defeating the All Blacks Sevens 14-5 in a gripping Cup Final at Stade Atlantique. Celian Pouzelgues scored the match-sealing try in the final minute to send the partisan Bordeaux crowd into raptures and end France’s season on a high.

Les Bleus Sevens had entered the tournament seventh in the SVNS World Championship standings, but produced their best rugby when it mattered most. Their route to the final included a victory over the Blitzboks — the side that had just been crowned SVNS World Champions — making the triumph all the more remarkable.

France controlled the opening exchanges and drew first blood through Rayan Rebbadj, who finished wide left after quick hands from Paulin Riva and Antoine Zeghdar. New Zealand hit back before half-time when Jayden Keelan scored with less than a minute remaining in the first period, capitalising on a yellow card shown to Pouzelgues for a high tackle.

The second half was a nervy affair. France had a try disallowed early in the term, keeping the margin at just two points and the tension palpable inside Stade Atlantique. It was Pouzelgues — the same player who had been sin-binned — who ultimately broke New Zealand’s resistance, crashing over in the closing stages to put the result beyond doubt.

The victory marks France’s first SVNS circuit title since the 2024 Grand Final in Madrid, with Olympic gold at the Paris Games sitting separately from the SVNS standings. Antoine Dupont, who was a series rookie when France last claimed circuit silverware, was again central to the campaign.

Meanwhile, South Africa had their own celebrations at the event, receiving medals for the SVNS World Championship after the Blitzboks secured the circuit’s top prize by defeating Fiji in a thrilling quarter-final earlier in the tournament.

“I hope it inspires them. I hope that we continue to unite our country with sport,” an emotional Blitzboks head coach David Brits said in Bordeaux. “We’ve seen what the Springboks have done for our country. We’re just trying to add a little slice of the pizza so that we can all eat. The gratitude from our side for the support that we do get is astronomical. I’m forever grateful.”