USA snatch SVNS Series qualification with stunning 17-point comeback to stun Fiji in Bordeaux

The USA completed one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the SVNS season, overcoming a 14-0 second-half deficit to beat Fiji 17-14 in Bordeaux and seal qualification for the 2027 HSBC SVNS Series.

The result ends a turbulent World Championship campaign for the Americans, who had finished last at the Hong Kong Sevens and sat in the bottom four after SVNS Valladolid the previous weekend. Needing to beat Fiji in the fifth-place play-off to leapfrog Kenya on the standings, the USA trailed by two scores with the clock winding down before producing a 17-point blitz in the final three minutes.

David Still and Will Chevalier crossed for quick-fire tries to level the scores, before Lucas Lacamp dived over in the final play to complete the comeback and send the USA into the top eight.

The fifth-place finish in Bordeaux left the USA level on 17 competition points with Kenya, but the Americans edged ahead on the first tiebreaker — match points differential — to claim the final qualification spot and condemn Kenya to the second tier next season.

“Coming out of Hong Kong we finished in last place. We sat down that first day back from that tour and had a real hard long look into ourselves in the mirror and really asked ourselves what we wanted to be, who we wanted to be, what we wanted our identity to look like,” Chevalier said.

“We didn’t quite get it right last week either in Spain but we for sure got it right this weekend. We’ve still got so much more to give but I’m just so proud of these boys.”

“There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in the fight, from the first minute to the last. We’re down 14-0 in the second half and just dug in, we just believed in one another and the result spoke for itself.”

The USA had set up the quarter-final run with a perfect 3-0 record through pool play in Bordeaux, a sharp contrast to their form at the start of the season finale. Although they were beaten in the quarter-finals, the path to qualification remained open through the fifth-place play-off.

Germany, Uruguay and Great Britain also missed out on Series qualification and will need to work their way back through the World Championship next season, as will Kenya.

The USA will now join back-to-back SVNS World Champions South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Fiji, Spain, New Zealand and France in the top-flight circuit for the 2027 season.