The Blitzboks, who won bronze at the Olympics, are set to perform on home soil this December when the HSBC SVNS returns to Cape Town on the weekend of 7 and 8 December.
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World Rugby announced on Thursday the first five locations for the 2024/2025 season, following the success of the format at the Paris Olympics, where both the men’s and women’s events saw record crowds at Stade de France.
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Cape Town Stadium will host the Blitzboks along with 23 other top men’s and women’s sevens teams in early December. The season will kick off with the traditional back-to-back rounds in Dubai (30 November to 1 December) and Cape Town.
The women’s competition will feature teams such as Olympic gold medallists New Zealand, Australia, France, USA (bronze medallists), Canada (silver medallists), Fiji, Ireland, Great Britain, Japan, Brazil, Spain, and China.
The men’s event will include Argentina, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France (gold medallists), Fiji (silver medallists), South Africa (bronze medallists), Great Britain, USA, Spain, Uruguay, and Kenya.
The South African team redeemed their season by claiming bronze in Paris after a challenging 2024 campaign, having secured their Olympic spot through a last-chance repechage in Monaco just before the Games.
However, the Blitzboks have not won their home leg since 2015.
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer expressed enthusiasm in an SA Rugby media release on Thursday, stating that the Cape Town leg is set to once again deliver the elements that have made it one of the top sporting events in the country.
‘The setting, the wonderful stadium, the hospitality, and the passionate rugby fans create a unique Cape Town experience. With 24 of the world’s best teams in action, supporters can expect a brilliant display of athleticism in an equally brilliant environment,’ Oberholzer said.
The Cape Town leg will return to using Cape Town Stadium over two days, moving away from the 2023 experiment of using two fields over three days.
‘The Cape Town Sevens has become known as the unofficial start of summer in the Mother City, and we’re excited for another weekend of spectacular rugby and fantastic fun for 100 000 people,’ Oberholzer added.
Following the successful debut of Perth as a Sevens host in 2024, which saw a sell-out crowd on finals day, the event will return to Australia’s west coast for the third round from 24-26 January at HBF Park.
The series will then move to Vancouver for the fourth round from 21-23 February at BC Place, followed by the fan-favourite Hong Kong leg from 28-30 March.
Details for the remaining Sevens events, including the grand final, will be announced later, along with ticket sales for the Cape Town event.
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