The HSBC SVNS circus is back: seven things we learned in Dubai

Who knew learning could be this much fun? As the bigger-than-ever fireworks budget exploded above girls in gold and the irresistible figures at the heart of a Fijian renaissance in Dubai, HSBC SVNS Series felt well and truly back – and what an opening chapter it was.

What, besides an enormous sense of relief that the next tournament’s just days away, did we take from it all? 

Here are seven (of course) things from the women’s event.

The kids are all right

Post-Olympics, there were always going to be fresh faces, but the start lists for this cycle felt particularly green – as unprecedented numbers of storied jerseys were hung up for good, stalwarts embarked upon sabbaticals, and eyes turned towards next year’s Rugby World Cup in England. 

Player profiles were hurriedly added to national websites, and commentators sweated long into the night over pronunciations and background stories – before the tunnels in Dubai lined up with debutants. 

And they flew. Just look at Romain Huet’s Bleues, who won bronze in Dubai despite fielding four teenagers and just five athletes with 10 or more events under their belts; or Emilie Bydwell’s Eagles, who had sustained a staggering 365% decrease in experience since Madrid, but went on to finish fifth. 

Bydwell loves building imagery, and spoke about their robust Chula Vista preseason – where many of her new-look outfit experienced a professional set-up for the very first time – as ‘laying foundations’.

Continuing the building metaphor, she said USA were taking things ‘brick by brick’. But USA, and other sides, strung together some eye-catching results straight out of the traps. Pretty rapid reconstruction work.

World class is world class

There was, it must be conceded, a slight dip in cohesion across the weekend, as these tyros were exposed to the sport’s top table, but a few individuals seemed not only impervious to that, but better than ever. There are some generational talents out there right now – and they simply sparkled. 

Jorja Miller, despite being eased back in after hardly any competitive preseason action, was mesmeric with the ball, and monstrous without it. 

Maddi Levi, looking – somehow – more athletic than ever, broke the all-time single tournament scoring record, and shrugged off the immense pressure she was placed under in the final to produce a few huge plays. 

Risi Pouri-Lane and Teresa Setefano pulled the strings masterfully, and the peerlessly industrious Eve Higgins whipped a few trademark rabbits out of hats. Player of the Final Charlotte Caslick spent the weekend oozing quiet threat until its closing number, when she found yet another lethal gear. 

Australia are bringing through another great vintage

Let’s talk Australia. Demi Hayes was back – looking sharp throughout, and ending up sporting a fabulous, eyebrow-preserving wrap of tape – but their injury list remains eye-watering. And they were without retired lynchpins Dom du Toit and Sharni Smale.

Their 2024 has been an arresting combination of soaring peaks and heart-aching troughs, but what it has done is develop the sort of depth which will make them incredibly hard to beat. 

Between January and April, Australia were forced to use more players than they did the entirety of their storied 21-22 season. It meant that the likes of Heidi Dennis, Ruby Nicholas, and Kahli Henwood were ready for Dubai – and then some. 

Pre-event, Tim Walsh said that this group is: “like a fine wine. We want to get better with age, and strongly believe the best is yet to come.” 

Given that their new, oh-so impressive captain, their main strike weapon, and their increasingly influential goal-kicker are a mere 22 years old, and they pulled off a dazzling desert five-peat, he’s probably right.

Great Britain? Something tells me they’re onto something good

When we spoke to new head coach Giselle Mather, she was keen to stress that it was ‘process’ up in Ted Lasso-style whiteboard marker in their Dubai dressing room, rather than ‘outcome’: she wanted her players’ ‘superpowers’ coming to the fore, lessons taken, and the whole squad to emerge better for the experience. 

The numbers speak volumes: 11th last year, fourth this time around – courtesy of an extra pool stage win, and then a comprehensive shut-out of Japan come the quarters. Great Britain averaged five points per match in Dubai in December 2023, which they merrily ramped up to 16 a year later. But, speaking to Mather again on day two, their improvement was so much more than on the scoreboard. 

She was, their semi-final error count aside, delighted. Superpowers were indeed apparent, each of her six newbies had produced moments of note, the squad seemed to be gelling at a rate of Cromptons, and the effect of that confidence – that enjoyment – was no more resplendent than in nine-try Ellie Boatman, who appeared to be made of nothing but teflon and photons.

How do you solve a problem like Fijiana?

The majority of our Dubai learnings were positive, but this one’s of real concern. Interim Head Coach Timoci Volavola admitted that he’d offered the bulk of last year’s group the opportunity to return to the series, but most declined. 

He was full of praise for his eventual squad’s appetite to learn – just four of them had previous experience on the circuit – but they simply weren’t able to compete. Their weekend ended winless - just as it had at the Olympics. 

It was many of the players’ first time overseas, which might well have played its part. But they looked callow, disorganised, and inaccurate, in stark contrast to their captivating men’s outfit. We’ll all be hoping better times are coming for Fijiana. 

Whisper it ... sevens smarts can (gasp!) trump speed

Just look at Pol Pla (you should do this anyway, even out of the context of this article. Seriously: make a habit of it). 

Sometimes, you want the raw top-end speed of Thalia Costa or Nia Toliver. Sometimes, as we saw in Dubai, you want the composure of Sarah Hirini, the uncoachable attacking instincts of Caslick, the steadying hand at the tiller of Carla Neisen, or the direction provided by Raquel Kochhann. 

Canada were without that sort of experience, and it showed. If you shuffle the deck too hard, you might not quite pull off your magic trick. 

Defence wins championships

This is not new information, but it was epitomised as Australia made it 28 consecutive victories in the Sevens Stadium. 

China nilled. Fijiana limited to seven points. Meg Burns allowed to slam down five for Ireland, but no such luck for the Canadians. Surely, come the semi-finals, the green and gold dam would start to show cracks? Nope: Great Britain managed one score. 

Australia conceded 24 points in the final against New Zealand – more than the rest of the tournament combined – but it was their most staggering defensive shift. 

The first notable moment of what was a scintillating affair was Bella Nasser’s jackal turnover, and the instant that won it was Caslick producing one right at the death. 

Although some truly beautiful Black Ferns scores carved them open, these tigerish moments bookended 14 minutes of world-class off-the-ball intensity. Teagan Levi hit like a train all tournament long, as did Tia Hinds, who tackled well above her weight, while Faith Nathan relentlessly tracked back and shut down when she wasn’t bringing up her century of tries. Defence is queen: it really is.

And there you have it: the most entertaining education in sport. Flamboyance, guts, extraordinary athleticism, and a feast of storylines. 

The SVNS is back. Next stop? Cape Town.