Sam Pinder – SVNS Is A Fantastic Vehicle For Being Able To Grow The Sport Of Rugby

Sitting on the beach in Sentosa, before the 24 HSBC SVNS captains engaged with fans and partook in their Singapore SVNS stop photoshoot, we spoke with Sam Pinder, World Rugby’s Sevens General Manager, about this first edition of the Series and what lessons have been learned from this new format.

One of the main points we wanted to clarify was the penultimate round in Singapore which would determine the League Winners and if the Series would stay in the same format.

How Would You Describe The First HSBC SVNS Series – Sam Pinder

The New Zealander, who was involved with the Cathay HSBC Hong Kong Sevens for nearly a decade as Tournament Director, said; “I’ll probably start by talking about the competitiveness of the HSBC SVNS Series. This has been the most competitive season that we’ve ever had.

We’ve got obviously the top 12 men’s and women’s teams playing on the HSBC SVNS Series and we’ve had events where New Zealand were playing in the final one week, and then the following week among the bottom four. 

On the men’s side, anyone can beat anyone. And on the women’s side coming into Singapore, both Australia and New Zealand are on equal points (106) vying for that League trophy. From that point of view, I think the SVNS Series has been outstanding.”

It’s good for fans and there’s been a big fan focus this season as part of remodeled SVNS. What’s the feedback been in terms of embracing the local cultures and promoting the local rugby scenes?

Photo Credit: Sam Pinder – World Rugby’s Sevens General Manager

Sam Pinder: “I think the SVNS itself is a fantastic vehicle for being able to grow the sport of rugby across the globe. Here in Singapore, we’ve got fantastic partners from HSBC Sports, the Singapore Rugby Union, and the Singapore Tourism Board.

You can see from this week, we’ve got over 5,000 participants at different events from beach rugby, to touch rugby, to the Southeast Asian Sevens (SEA 7s), the Ruck & Rumble…That is a great legacy for us to be able to grow the sport and for it to be a touch point for rugby within each destination that we go to.”

How much have you had to invest with the local partners to create and develop these programs on the individual Series stops? 

Sam Pinder: “We’ve invested in the activities in and around the rugby, and the rugby is fantastic in itself. But we see that it’s a competitive world out there for the sports landscape. We’ve got to compete for people’s share of their wallet and share of their time. 

So we have invested in the different elements from food to entertainment, to music, and into events that support the SVNS as well.

It was great to see Hong Kong return to pre-COVID levels and be sold out. And it did have that atmosphere of the time before the pandemic, but it’s taken a couple of years to get over that COVID impact. 

We’ve seen huge demand in ticket numbers and an increase in attendance over the HSBC SVNS Series this season. It’s fantastic for us here in Singapore to be able to go out to the market with an additional 6,000 tickets per day to increase the capacity because of the ticket demand. That’s a very big positive of what the season has brought us.

A big part of that has been targeting not only a new audience but also trying to target a younger audience or a more social media-engaged audience and getting kids involved in activities.  What is the biggest legacy or tailwind you hope to see over the next few years as the SVNS Series develops?

Sam Pinder: “It’s a social world now, isn’t it? So you’ve got to be able to compete in that space. We’ve got some very talented people behind the scenes who cut up videos and share content and they are doing fantastic work allowing us to grow audiences across the globe. 

From a rugby perspective, we need to widen our fanbase and attract leisure-hungry people into the sport and then get them interested in rugby – it is a key component of what the SVNS can do across the globe. And we’re hoping to achieve this through the SVNS Series.

HSBC SVNS Series Stats 2024

• The global broadcast TV figure is 11.4m viewing hours so far this season!
• An additional 10.1m views were across RugbyPass TV (RPTV) and YouTube replays/highlights.
• SVNS social media has accumulated 747m video views.

Captain’s photo prior to the HSBC SVNS at Siloso Beach, Sentosa on 1 May 2024 in Singapore. Photo credit: Mike Lee – KLC fotos for World Rugby

Growth Of Sevens Rugby In Asia

In Asia, we’re lucky we have three legs on the SVNS Series, with Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore – What are your views on the growth potential in Asia in terms of Rugby Sevens?

Sam Pinder: “I was lucky enough to be involved with the Hong Kong China Rugby Union for a number of years, and I know the success the SVNS Series has brought to a number of unions and the focus they have on sevens rugby. I think it’s an important component to have this growth of rugby and a touch point for rugby, and for Asian unions to be able to expand into getting into international competitions – so Sevens is hugely important.

Of including the local components such as the Melrose Claymores in Hong Kong and having the finals of the SEA7s and U14 Schools played at the National Stadium in Singapore,  Pinder added:

“We saw that Melrose Claymores competition that the Hong Kong teams were playing in, in Hong Kong, and the crowd getting right behind them and the players inspiring the next generation – I think that’s a great component to have with these events.”

Will The HSBC SVNS Series Stay In The Same Format?

Do you think the format, as it is, will stick around? It is the first season and fans will eventually need to understand it better.

Sam Pinder: “That’s a good point. It is the first season, and as an organisation, we need to review and look at things and make changes when we need to. 

But as it stands at the moment, the competition for the Series has been outstanding. At the top end, we have teams competing for the League title – both New Zealand and Australia are tied on points on the women’s side, with Argentina and Ireland at the top on the men’s side. Then in that eighth to ninth position, it’s just as hotly contested. Both the GB teams are vying for positions to try and get into that top eight. 

It is going to add an extra layer of interest, I think, to the Singapore event, and then even more so when we go into Madrid when we have the top eight teams vying for the HSBC SVNS Championship, and the eight teams that are going to be competing for the playoffs.”

Find out more about the Madrid leg from World Rugby

We have seen very good quality teams compete in the Challenger events, and from an Asian perspective, the Chinese women are doing very well. We have also heard that it might be difficult for teams to get promoted and stay in the top flight.

Sam Pinder: “I think it is a competitive world out there. But you could look at the success of how the Ireland men have come through that Challenger process and maintained their status at the top, so there is a way of being able to achieve it. 

Japan, obviously from the men’s side, has been up and down for a number of years and we have some big teams that could cause some upsets, particularly on the women’s side with the Argentinians and the Chinese. On the Men’s side, the two South American teams (Chile and Uruguay) and there’s a battle with Kenya, Germany and Hong Kong, China for that fourth spot. So yes, there are some very competitive teams going to Madrid. 

Have you had any sense from the players or teams in terms of what they value more between winning the HSBC SVNS League here in Singapore or the Championship in Madrid? 

Sam Pinder: “No, there has not been too much feedback on that so far but we are going into Madrid and will hear more from teams and see how they fare in that. 

When we look at it with the Olympics, there’s no difference between having a grand final type Sevens champion and coming out of that one event with a winner. To compete in those seven events on the HSBC SVNS Series, you’ve got to perform and be able to get into that top eight. 

So it has been a very good competitive year to be able to maintain form and to be able to get into that final round in Madrid!”

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