Petition launched against plans to reduce HSBC SVNS teams to eight
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Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 24.04.25. | 16:34
While the model is intended to last until the end of the Olympic cycle in 2028, the guaranteed financial support only extends through the upcoming season
A storm is brewing in the rugby world as fans, players, and unions rally against World Rugby’s controversial decision to drastically reduce the number of core teams in the HSBC SVNS Series.
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A petition, now live, is calling on the world rugby governing body to reconsider what many are calling a damaging blow to the global development of the sport.
The uproar follows reports by journalist Ignacio Chans that World Rugby plans to scale back the 2025 HSBC SVNS Series from 12 to just eight core teams in both the men’s and women’s circuits.
The move, attributed to financial losses and the organisation's shift in priorities, is aimed at cutting costs while reinvesting in women’s rugby.
However, the changes threaten to sideline countries like Uruguay and the United States, teams that finished 10th and 12th, respectively, in the recently concluded 2024–25 SVNS Men’s Series.
Argentina took top honours in this year’s edition, while former regulars like Canada were already excluded. Now, both Uruguay and the USA are at serious risk of joining Canada on the outside looking in.
For many, the looming 2025 Los Angeles SVNS tournament on Saturday, 3 to Sunday, 4 May, takes on even greater significance.
Dubbed the repechage, the tournament will act as a last-chance saloon for teams looking to hold on to funding and relevance.
The top four finishers will earn the right to participate in three tournaments in the new season and may be invited to three additional events at the end of the campaign.
They will also retain the £300,000 (approximately Ksh51.5 million) annual funding offered to all core teams at least for the first year.
The new format introduces a second division composed of six teams: four from the Los Angeles repechage and two from the Challenger Series involving lower-ranked sides.
This new tier system will culminate in three final tournaments, each featuring 12 teams: the top eight and the best four from the second division.
While the model is intended to last until the end of the Olympic cycle in 2028, the guaranteed financial support only extends through the upcoming season.
Adding to the disappointment, World Rugby has also announced plans to scrap the Rugby Sevens World Cup entirely.
First introduced in 1993 for men and in 2009 for women, the tournament has served as a celebration of global Sevens talent. Host cities like Mar del Plata (2001) and San Francisco (2018) showcased the sport’s international reach, one that now appears to be shrinking.
Critics argue that this model is short-sighted. While boosting investment in women’s rugby is widely supported, many feel that doing so by limiting the number of nations competing in the men’s and women’s elite tiers undermines the sport’s inclusive and global spirit.
