Van Wyk crowned inaugural SVNS MVP as USA snatch survival in final-play thriller

Shilton van Wyk has been named the inaugural RugbyPass SVNS Series MVP after the Blitzboks flyer finished the season-long leaderboard ahead of teammate Tristan Leyds and Fiji’s prolific try-scorer Vuiviwa Naduvalo, capping a dominant campaign for South Africa’s sevens programme.

Van Wyk held a five-vote lead heading into the HSBC SVNS World Championship finale in Bordeaux and was never overtaken, with all five men’s players who polled votes at the final event being first-time recipients this season. The 26-year-old had previously been named Player of the Final when South Africa won their home event at SVNS Cape Town in December, and he maintained that level of performance throughout the circuit.

The Blitzboks were the standout team of the regular season, claiming silverware at four of six events and carrying that form into the new-look HSBC SVNS World Championship. South Africa also won the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens for the first time and reached the Cup Final at SVNS Valladolid. Their path in Bordeaux, however, was far from straightforward — the Blitzboks found themselves on the brink of elimination before scraping into the quarter-finals, then defeated Fiji to mathematically secure the circuit title despite losing to France in the semi-finals.

France went on to win the Bordeaux decider against the All Blacks Sevens in front of a raucous crowd at Stade Atlantique, ending a two-year wait for a SVNS Series victory. Rayan Rebbadj and Celian Pouzelgues were the standout performers for Les Bleus Sevens, who last won a Series stop when Antoine Dupont inspired their run to the 2024 Grand Final in Madrid.

All Blacks Sevens back Jayden Keelan also impressed during the back-to-back European tournaments after returning from injury at Valladolid, including scoring in the Bordeaux Cup Final.

The most dramatic moment of the entire season finale, though, belonged to Lucas Lacamp and the USA. Facing Fiji in the fifth-place playoff with SVNS Series qualification on the line — a defeat would have handed Kenya a top-flight spot for next season — the Americans trailed 14-0 before scoring 17 unanswered points in the final three minutes. Lacamp had already crossed for a double in a pool-stage thriller against Australia, and he delivered again when it mattered most, diving over for the match-winning try in the final play to send his teammates swarming in celebration. The USA are back on the SVNS Series.

The Bordeaux event MVP awards for the men’s competition went to Rebbadj, Pouzelgues, and Lacamp.