Tonga’s national rugby sevens team is set to compete in the final round of the HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 in Krakow, Poland, on April 11-12.
The top four teams from this tournament will advance to the HSBC SVNS Play Off in Los Angeles on May 3-4, offering a pathway to the elite SVNS series.
Tonga secured its place in the Challenger series by defeating Tuvalu 24-19 in the third-place playoff at the Oceania Sevens Rugby tournament in Honiara last December. Samoa also qualified, with its men’s team winning the final against Fiji’s development squad.
The pools for the upcoming SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles have been announced, setting the stage for intense rugby sevens action.
In the men’s competition, Pool A features league winners Argentina alongside South Africa, Olympic champions France, and Great Britain. Pool B comprises Fiji, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand, promising thrilling encounters among these rugby powerhouses.
On the women’s side, Olympic champions and league winners New Zealand are placed in Pool A with Canada, Japan, and Great Britain. Pool B includes Fiji, Australia, France, and the USA, setting up a series of competitive matches.
Reflecting on the tournament’s structure, three-time World Rugby Player of the Year, Daniel Carter, said, “It’s nice to have something to work towards and then high-pressure situations… It’s all on the line.”
The Challenger series began with two rounds in Cape Town, South Africa, in March. The top eight teams from these events advanced to the Krakow tournament. The four teams with the highest cumulative points after Krakow will earn spots in the Los Angeles playoff, where they will compete against the bottom four teams from the SVNS series for promotion.
