Last year saw South Africa lift the men’s trophy after defeating France, while New Zealand topped the women’s competition. Both title holders return to Cape Town aiming to defend their titles and be crowned winners once more.
The tournament was officially launched today at the Castle of GoodHope, South Africa’s oldest surviving building with a cannon ceremony in which the reigning Cape Town champions, the BlitzBoks and Black Ferns captains fired the historic cannon last used in the late 1800s.
At the launch, South Africa captain Impi Visser commented: “We are very happy to be back in Cape Town. As always, we have this one opportunity to play in front of family, friends and fans and we want to make the most of it. Winning last year was such a great feeling and we are determined to experience that again.
“The new format makes every match a must win and that adds to the pressure. Our confidence remains high that we can go out and defend our title, but we are fully aware of what it will demand from us. We are ready for that.”
Cape Town serves as the second stop of the global Series, following Dubai where New Zealand completed a double victory, winning both the men’s and women’s titles. The opening round delivered 254 tries across the tournament, setting the pace for another highly competitive weekend.
Play begins at 10:00 local time on Saturday at DHL Stadium, when Canada and Japan meet in the opening women’s pool match.
More than rugby on display
Alongside the on-field action, Cape Town will once again host a broad programme of entertainment for fans attending the event. Music performances across the weekend will feature artists including:
DJ Alicious vs DJ Chelsea-Sloan • Youngsta CPT • Ben Rodriguez • Majozi • aKing • Jimmy Nevis • Loufi • Keanan Eksteen • Die Heuwels Fantasties • Freddy L • PHFat • 2wobunnies • Belgium’s DJ Miro.
Additional activities will include the Streetstylers Dance Crew, SA TikTok creator performances, the Red Bull Love Garden and stunt-bike demonstrations.
Fans can secure their spot with tickets starting starting from R250 and available at Ticketmaster.co.za.
Fans around the world will also be able to catch all the action live on Rugby Pass TV. Wider information on the HSBC SVNS Series can be found here.