Norman-Bell hails Ultimate Sevens after Pacific Current edge Atlantic Novas in inaugural final

Pacific Current claimed the inaugural Ultimate Sevens trophy with a 12-6 victory over Atlantic Novas at the Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford on Thursday 24 September, with a decisive arcing run from Brazil’s Gabriela Lima sealing the win in the women’s final.

Atlantic Novas pushed the heavily favoured Pacific Current hard throughout, most notably limiting World Sevens Player of the Year Maddie Levi to a single try — holding up a second on the line — before Lima’s breakthrough proved the difference.

In the aftermath, Atlantic Novas and GB sevens player Isla Norman-Bell was quick to reflect on what the new franchise-based competition had offered players accustomed to the international circuit.

“Honestly I’ve had the most amazing time. I love sevens so much and we brought such an experienced group but also some new people as well from all over the world coming together,” Norman-Bell told RugbyPass. “We’ve jelled as a team so quickly and it’s shown out there on the field today.”

The tournament’s central concept saw six franchise sides — Atlantic Novas, Pacific Current, Sol Feroz, Athletic Albion, Clan Taran, and Foudre Bleue — draft players from across the international SVNS circuit, placing former rivals and teammates in the same squad for the first time. Atlantic Novas alone featured players from nine nations, including Australia, the USA, Japan, Spain, Fiji, Poland, Denmark, Jamaica, and Great Britain.

That diversity created an immediate practical challenge: players arriving with different terminology and playing habits had to find a common language on the training pitch almost overnight.

“In the first training session we came in and all have different calls for things. We all knew what we wanted to do but it was all different — some people might say a ‘switch’, some people might call it a ‘cut’,” Norman-Bell explained.

Despite the defeat, Norman-Bell was effusive about the competition’s potential. “We were able to do things that not many teams were able to do. I’ve loved it so much. It’s been such a cool concept.”

The tournament brought together what organisers billed as the strongest concentration of international sevens talent in one place, with the Gtech Community Stadium providing the backdrop for a final that showcased both the depth of the women’s game and the appeal of a franchise model that cuts across traditional national allegiances.