Jorja Miller clinches SVNS Series MVP as Levi's Bordeaux final heroics fall just short

New Zealand’s Jorja Miller claimed the RugbyPass Women’s SVNS Series MVP title for the 2026 season, finishing with 51 votes after playing a central role in the Black Ferns Sevens’ dominant campaign of six titles from seven events. The 22-year-old had already wrapped up the award before the final two stops of the season, but the Bordeaux finale gave Australia’s Maddison Levi a stage to make a compelling late case.

Levi received a maximum 12 votes from all four RugbyPass writers for her Player of the Final display in the HSBC SVNS Bordeaux Cup Final — a match that doubled as a World Championship decider. Australia entered the final ahead on the ladder, but New Zealand would have claimed the overall title on match points differential with a win, setting up one of the most consequential matches of the women’s sevens season.

The Australian had already scored seven tries in three matches at the previous stop in Valladolid before picking up an injury in Spain, and she missed much of the Bordeaux event as a result. But she returned emphatically on day three at Stade Atlantique, scoring a go-ahead try just before half-time in the final and then breaking a Kelsey Teneti tackle attempt to touch down in the dying stages and seal Australia’s World Championship crown.

Levi finished the season second on the MVP leaderboard with 37 votes — 14 behind Miller. New Zealand’s Kelsey Teneti was third on 28 votes, with compatriot Risi Pouri-Lane fourth on 20. Isabella Nasser and Teagan Levi of Australia shared fifth place on 14 votes each, while Heidi Dennis rounded out the leading group on 12.

Beyond Levi, Pouri-Lane and New Zealand’s Manaia Nuku drew recognition from multiple writers for their performances across the Bordeaux event, as did Dennis. Canada’s Charity Williams, described as scoring tries throughout the tournament finale, polled votes from two writers, while the USA’s Kaylen Thomas and Australia captain Nasser were also noted among the event’s standout performers.