Five reasons not to miss the women’s HSBC SVNS Cape Town

At first glance, it looks like Australia surely have the women's HSBC SVNS Cape Town series sewn up. Defending champions: tick. Winners last week in Dubai: tick. Possessors of a record-breaking try-scoring machine: tick. 

But rugby, and rugby sevens in particular never seems to work like that. Here's why you will not want to miss a moment from the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, 7-8 December: 

1. Catch the next instalment of one of sport's greatest rivalries

Australia versus New Zealand is always a tasty prospect, but the nation's female sevens team have taken it to a whole new level.

Between them the Trans-Tasman rivals have shared seven of the past eight regular season HSBC SVNS crowns, the 2024 Grand Final, both the past two Commonwealth Games titles, all of the four most recent sevens World Cups and all three Olympic Games since the sport made its debut in 2016. 

Add on the fact that every time the duo meet the matches somehow meet the hype and you can see why Cape Town is a win-win situation for fans. Either a nation is going to step up and thrillingly defy these powerhouses or we all get to watch the likes of Maddison Levi and Charlotte Caslick (AUS) go head-to-head with Jorja Miller and Sarah Hirini (NZL) once more. Brilliant. 

2. See who might break the hegemony 

The last team not called Australia or New Zealand to win a HSBC SVNS series was Ireland, back in January. They sparkled at times last week, comfortably beating Fiji and the dangerous China before briefly worrying both the Aussies and the Kiwis. 

If the Emerald Isle are not to be the ones though, the smart money might be on France. The young squad were hugely impressive in beating Great Britain to bronze in Dubai last week, despite going down to five players. And they like it in Cape Town, having pushed Australia all the way in last season's final. 

With a similarly youthful Canada finding life tricky so far (more below), a left-field shout might just be Team GB. With a new director of rugby, a fresh coach and a highly motivated group, watch out for Ellie Boatman and co. 

3. Marvel at some of the game's greatest ever try scorers

What is remarkable is that this section is not only about Maddison Levi. Yes the Australian sensation scored a record-setting 15 tries - including two hat-tricks - in Dubai and yes she has notched a scarcely believable 165 scores in 116 matches, but she has company. 

Last weekend Amee Leigh Costigan (IRL) reached a height even Levi has yet to scale. The Irish flier became just the third female player ever to score 200 or more top tier tries. 

But it does not stop there either. Watch France in action and you'll get to see the extraordinary Anne-Cécile Ciofani (five tries last week after 33 last season). Tune in to Great Britain and Boatman is bound to be scoring, the 27-year-old notched nine in six matches in Dubai, or follow Brazil and Thalia Costa is likely to be improving on a record that reads 95 tries in 126 matches. 

4. Enjoy the emergence of new teams and new faces

While the quarter-final line-up at the Dubai SVNS was not unexpected, there were still plenty of smile-inducing surprises in the UAE. 

First up, China gave a glimpse of what might be to come. The stars of last season's HSBC Challenger series led powerhouse Ireland for long periods  before beating Fiji twice in 24 hours.  

The Spanish women also followed their mighty men by upsetting France in the pool stage. While the fun-to-watch Brazil beat the equally dynamic Japan, who themselves had given Canada a real shock with a 40-5 thumping. 

Expect more of the same in Cape Town. 

5. Check in with Canada 

Canada produced one of the stories of the summer Olympic Games. The North Americans had built slowly and purposefully towards their goal and got their reward with silver in Paris. Now, new head coach Jocelyn Barrieau is not hiding from the fact that they are doing just that once more. 

Only four of their Paris superstars were in the squad in Dubai, with six players making their SVNS debut, while another, 20-year-old Camille Arvin-Berod, is yet to feature. 

Such early LA 2028 building blocks can cause pain - see Canada's 39-0 loss to Australia last week - but it will be fascinating to watch them as they seek to improve week-by-week.