Mike Friday slams decision that relegated Kenya Sevens from HSBC SVNS
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Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 03.05.25. | 16:11
Under the new structure, only the top eight teams after the Singapore leg will proceed to the 2025 HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles
Former Kenya and USA men’s sevens head coach Mike Friday has launched a scathing attack on World Rugby following the announcement of a revamped HSBC SVNS format, calling the changes “shameful, unprofessional and machiavellian.”
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In a strongly worded reaction shared on social media, Friday dismissed the official press release as "even more bullsh*t," further stating that rugby icons Beth Coalter and Vernon Pugh, pioneers of the game’s global expansion, "will be turning in their graves.”
Under the new structure, only the top eight teams after the Singapore leg will proceed to the 2025 HSBC SVNS World Championship in Los Angeles, automatically securing their Division 1 core team status for the 2026 season.
Teams finishing outside that bracket, including Kenya, USA, Ireland, and Uruguay, must now battle it out in a high-stakes promotion-relegation playoff against the top four sides from the Challenger Series.
This decision, part of a broader overhaul aimed at “ensuring long-term sustainability and global growth” ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, has ignited backlash from several rugby quarters, with Friday being the most vocal.
“Shameful, unprofessional and Machiavellian behaviour by those given the responsibility to lead 7s at World Rugby. Beth Coalter and Vernon Pugh will be turning in their graves,” Friday posted.
The new HSBC SVNS model introduces a three-tier format:
Division 1: Eight men’s and eight women’s teams compete in six high-profile events.
Division 2: Six teams per gender face off in three events.
Division 3: A Challenger Series based on regional qualifiers.
The season will climax with a three-leg SVNS World Championship, featuring 12 teams (eight from Division 1 and four from Division 2), and includes a pathway for lower-tier teams to rise through the ranks. Still, critics argue the move is less about sustainability and more about elitism.
For Kenya Sevens, who failed to secure a top-eight finish, the road to redemption is now significantly steeper. Should they finish 13th to 16th in Los Angeles, they will fall out of the global circuit entirely and drop to their regional qualifiers.
Friday’s frustration stems not just from the competitive jeopardy but also from the lack of transparency and respect for the sport’s legacy. As a coach who took the USA from 13th to 6th in his first season and led them to a historic second-place finish in 2019, Friday’s credibility carries weight.
He has played a vital role in nurturing talents like Perry Baker, Folau Niua, and Madison Hughes, names that became synonymous with USA Rugby’s golden era. That success, however, now feels threatened by decisions he believes betray the ethos of the game.
The mention of Beth Coalter and Vernon Pugh in his statement is particularly poignant. Coalter, the former sevens operations manager, was instrumental in pushing for rugby’s inclusion in the Olympic Games and had an influential role in shaping the global sevens calendar.
Pugh, a former IRB chairman, led transformative changes in the game, including the shift from amateurism to professionalism.
Their legacy, Friday suggests, is now under threat.
