Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 – What The Teams Have Said

The Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 will take place from 28-30 March 2025 and for the first time will be played at the new Kai Tak Sports Park with all 24 teams looking to be the first-ever victors at the new stadium, which is also the 5th leg of the HSBC World Rugby SVNS Series 2024-2025.

Photo Credit – Alex Ho & Zach Franzen / World Rugby – Women’s and men’s team captains pose for a photo prior to the 2025 Cathay HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium on March 26, 2025.

The three-day event kicks off at 10:30 local time (GMT+8) on Friday 28th March with pool matches for the HSBC SVNS as well as the Melrose Claymores taking place. The SVNS women’s and men’s finals will bring down the curtain on Sunday 30th March at 18:10 and 18:46 respectively.

The New Zealand women and Argentina men lead the current SVNS standings after four rounds, and only the top eight teams at the end of the sixth round in Singapore next weekend will qualify for the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles on 3-4 May.

At the other end of the table, the bottom 4 teams will need to play in the relegation/promotion round against the top 4 teams that qualify from the final Challenger 7s round in Krakow played in April.

Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 Pools

WOMEN’S POOLS

Women’s team captains pose for a photo in advance of the 2025 Cathay HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium on March 26, 2025. (Photo by Alex Ho & Zach Franzen / World Rugby)

Pool A

• New Zealand
• Brazil
• China
• USA

A number of Black Ferns 7s players will try out for the NZ 15s team and aim for a spot in the Rugby World Cup 2025 but thankfully they remain in contention for the legs in Hong Kong and Singapore.

New Zealand women’s captain Sarah Hirini said: “For us, Hong Kong is the home of sevens and this is one of the biggest tournaments that we get to play in so we can’t wait to see the south stand rocking this weekend.  It feels pretty surreal to be here and we’re especially proud to be the first to play here. The pitch looks awesome and I’m sure it’s going to be pretty fast and that the roof can be closed is incredible.”

USA Olympian Sammy Sullivan, as well as Nia Toliver, return to the USA side for the Asian legs with USA Women’s 7s Head Coach Emilie Bydwell saying, “We’re excited to welcome back both Sammy and Nia. Sammy’s work ethic, grit, and ability to make significant impacts on both sides of the ball were key to our Olympic campaign. Her exceptional ability to elevate the energy and intensity of our play is critical, and we’re looking forward to injecting that spark at key moments over the next few weeks.

Nia has proven to the world just how impactful she is and continues to work hard to refine her craft, constantly seeking to elevate her game and her role within the team. Her unique combination of speed, power, footwork, and an ‘own the moment’ mindset is invaluable, enabling her to either score herself or create space and opportunities for others.  We have a strong blend of players who complement each other well, and our goal is to optimize our potential and create a collective whole that is greater than the sum of our parts over the next two weekends.”

Pool B

• Fiji
• France
• Great Britain
• Ireland

Pool C

• Australia
• Canada
• Japan
• Spain

The Australian women’s selection has been hit by the decision of a group of players to play in the Super W and try and secure a place in the RWC 2025 squad. Notably absent is playmaker Charlotte Caslick for the rest of the SVNS Series, and Head Coach Tim Walsh has selected his youngest squad in a decade for this weekend in Hong Kong (averaging 21 years old).

Amahli Hala is set to make her debut and will do so at a brand new Kai Tak Stadium and the side does also see the return of Maddison Levi and Sariah Paki, but Madison Ashby, Bienne Terita, Kaitlin Shave and Alysia Lefau-Fakaosilea are all out due to injuries.

Photo by Alex Ho / World Rugby – Sakura 7s Captain Honoka Tsutsumi – Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025

The Japanese Sakura 7s are coming off a high with their first-ever semifinal appearance in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens in Vancouver last time out, and Head Coach Yuka Kanematsu has selected a strong side again for Hong Kong and Singapore.

Sakura 7s Captain Honoka Tsutsumi told Rugby Asia 247, “I am so happy with our performance from Vancouver and to be here at this new exciting stadium in Hong Kong. We really want to aim for a medal and are proud to represent Japanese women’s rugby on the global stage. We want to thank the fans for always supporting us and we hope to see more out here in Hong Kong and in Singapore get behind us.”

The full schedule of matches and results can be found here.

MEN’S POOLS

Men’s team captains pose for a photo in advance of the 2025 Cathay HSBC Hong Kong Sevens at Kai Tak Stadium on March 26, 2025. (Photo by Alex Ho & Zach Franzen / World Rugby)

Pool A

• Argentina
• Fiji
• Ireland
• USA

USA Men’s 7s Head Coach Simon Amor said, “There’s a physical, mental and emotional load that comes in back-to-back tournaments. The guys are learning their potential, but realistically it’s only when you have the 55,000 people in Hong Kong cheering. You go through that game, the emotional, mental, physical, and then, after that game, you’ve grown after you’ve experienced it. The good with our group is that we’re battling in these games, challenging the decision-making and the execution and it continues to improve. We can see the guys are pushing themselves and realizing what it takes.”

Uluamu Niutupuivaha has been named in the travelling squad for Hong Kong and Singapore and could make his debut.

USA Men’s 7s captain Stephen Tomasin added ahead of the back-to-back, “Hong Kong is special, it produces magical moments. Margins have been tight in all of the last pool games we’ve played. We have all the tools and the confidence to do something special in Hong Kong, so we’ll just go out there and play our best game.”

Pool B

• South Africa
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Uruguay

The Springbok Sevens will see Gino Cupido make his debut in Hong Kong, and Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman has also included Dewald Human and Zain Davids as changes from the Vancouver team. They replace Ronald Brown (injured), David Brits (rested), and Sebastiaan Jobb (serving a suspension following a red card in Vancouver).

Ryan Oosthuizen is in the city for the seventh time and competing in his 54th HSBC SVNS tournament in total as a Blitzbok, saying “We are really in a good space. There is a genuine bond amongst the guys, who enjoy each other’s company off the field too and that makes for a happy squad who are prepared to work for each other on the field.

It was almost unreal to think back to 2017 when I came here as a young kid making my debut and now, all these years on, I am almost 30 and about to become a dad. What a journey it has been for me. A wonderful journey, I might add.”

The South Africans have famously never won in Hong Kong and are hoping the Kai Tak Stadium venue change will bring them better fortunes.

For Zain Davids, who made his debut with Oosthuizen in 2017 and has 50 HSBC World Series tournaments, he added, “We are in a good space. Our defence is good and we have players with some amazing flair on attack. Add to that the fact that we do play for each other has a positive outcome for all of us.”

The Australia Men’s 7s Head Coach Liam Barry has recalled Hadley Tonga while Michael Icely was ruled out due to an injury. The former All Black in his first season in charge, said “Hong Kong is the original and legacy event and in a new stadium under the roof on day one we’re pumped for the occasion.”

Pool C

• Spain
• France
• Great Britain
• Kenya

Spain men’s captain Pol Pla, who will play in his 50th HSBC Series event in Hong Kong, added: “Hong Kong is special and I’m happy to be here for my fiftieth tournament in this amazing new stadium. As players we can feel the energy from the stadium and the South Stand crowd and we love it. I’m very proud to be the first Spanish men’s player to reach 50 tournaments. We are currently second in the rankings and this weekend we will go to win the tournament, we can do it, why not?”

Where to Watch Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025

Fans can watch the HSBC SVNS action via the regional broadcaster partners or on RugbyPassTV.

Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 News

• 2025 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens – What You Need To Know.
• Melrose Claymores Teams For Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2025 Announced.
• Hong Kong China Rugby Sevens Confirm Squads For Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens Melrose Claymores 2025.
• Rugby Matters 2025 To Celebrate History at Kai Tak Sports Park.