Bordeaux may not only be the home of the Investec Champions’ Cup, but it will also crown the SVNS World Championship winner this weekend.
To recap, South Africa won the World SVNS Series - which is now six tournaments long - and had four in a row to take the title, winning in Cape Town, Perth, Toronto and New York. That accolade gave them the No 1 seed for the new three-tournament World Championship.
They have also qualified for the next SVNS Series as the only side so far.
They then moved to Hong Kong to claim their first ever title there and then finished runners up in Valladolid in Spain last weekend to lead the Championship by four points.
They have a tough pool, but if they make the final in Bordeaux, they can be crowned world champions.
The other seven qualified teams for next season’s series will also be known at the end of the tournament and who the core team is that drops down to SVNS2.
So here is a quick summary of the hopes of the African sides in the tournament and what it all means.
BLITZBOKS
The Blitzboks are in a group with Fiji, Kenya and Great Britain, making it incredibly tough straight up for them, but that has often been a good thing. Fiji fought the Blitzboks to the last game in the SVNS Series in New York, while Kenya have had two bruising encounters against the Blitzboks as well in the Championship. Great Britain took the Blitzboks to extra time in Valladolid, and are boosted by Scotland’s Darcy Graham in their desperate attempt to avoid relegation.
The Blitzboks lead Argentina by four points and Australia by eight, meaning a semi-final place should keep them in contention, but a spot in the final would all but secure the World Championship title.
BLITZBOKS' POOL A FIXTURES (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport):
Friday 5 June:
3:06pm: Great Britain
8:36pm: Kenya
Saturday 6 June:
11:06am: Fiji
Head-to-head:
Great Britain: Played 17, won 12. Average score: 21–12. Last match: Valladolid 2026 – won 17–12.
Kenya: Played 73, won 64. Average score: 26–10. Last match: Valladolid 2026 – won 14–0.
Fiji: Played 111, won 46. Average score: 16–17. Last match: New York 2026 – won 10–7 (Cup final).
SPRINGBOK WOMEN'S TEAM
It’s been a rough time for the Springbok Women's team as they’ve played well but have struggled against the bigger sides. They held Australia, the Valladolid winners, to a 26-12 scoreline, even though they were outclassed.
They lie 10th, seven points behind Spain in eighth spot and, to avoid going down to SVNS2 again, they will need a superb tournament, basically making it into the quarterfinals at least, which seems like a long shot.
Given they started in SVNS3, their progression has been exceptional and we are likely to see a strong finish from them, even though they have a tough pool with New Zealand, France and Argentina.
SPRINGBOK WOMEN'S POOL A FIXTURES: (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport):
Friday 5 June:
12:48pm: France
6:13pm: New Zealand
Saturday 6 June:
2:16pm: Argentina
Head-to-head:
France: Played 8, won 0. Average score 5-32. Last match: Los Angeles 2024 – lost 53-0.
New Zealand: Played 9, won 0. Average score 3-38. Last match: Los Angeles 2024 – lost 41-5.
Argentina: Played 9, won 6. Average score 16-13. Last match: Valladolid 2026 – won 19-17.
KENYA
The Shujaa have been a revelation on the Championship tournament circuit and are bidding to become the eighth team and seal their status as a core team for next season.
They finished seventh in Hong Kong and eighth in Valladolid and are in eighth spot, equal with France with the four sides below them some eight points behind.
Unless they have a blowout, they should be able to grab eighth spot and confirm their promotion to the World SVNS Series.
KENYA'S POOL A FIXTURES: (SA times, all matches live on SuperSport)
Friday 5 June:
2:44pm : Fiji
8:36pm: South Africa
Saturday 6 June
10:44am: Great Britain