The SVNS, known as the HSBC SVNS for sponsorship reasons, is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby featuring national sevens teams. Organised for the first time in the 1999–2000 season as the IRB World Sevens Series, the competition was formed to promote an elite-level of international rugby sevens and develop the game into a viable commercial product. The competition has been sponsored by banking group HSBC since 2014.
The England national rugby sevens team competes in the Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. They have once won the Rugby World Cup Sevens — the inaugural tournament in 1993. Historically the team also competed in the World Rugby Sevens Series finishing in second place four times, most recently in the 2016-17 season. The team has been replaced by a combined Great Britain team in this competition.
The Mexico national rugby sevens team participates in competitions such as the World Sevens Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens. Mexico finished in last place in the 2008 USA Sevens and finished sixth in the 2011 Pan American Games and eighth in the 2015 Pan American Games.
The Tonga national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series. Tonga has participated in all but one of the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments.
The Japan national rugby sevens team participates in competitions such as the World Rugby Sevens Series and the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
The Portugal national rugby sevens team played for the first time in 1992, at the Catania Sevens, World Cup 1993 European Qualifier. The team plays in competitions such as the World Sevens Series, the European Sevens Grand Prix Series and the Rugby World Cup Sevens. Portugal has a record of eight European titles—in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2011—although Portugal has not made the semifinals since 2012. Pedro Leal and Gonçalo Foro are two notable sevens players.
Mustafa Güngör is a German international rugby union player, playing for the TV Pforzheim in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team. He is a former captain of the German Sevens and German XV team. He made his debut for Germany in a game against Sweden in 2003.
The Hong Kong national rugby sevens team is a regular participant in the Rugby World Cup Sevens. The team's greatest achievements include winning the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and winning the Asian Sevens Series in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2022.
The Ireland national rugby sevens team competes in several international rugby sevens competitions. The team is governed by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU).
Spain's national rugby sevens team is one of 15 core teams participating in all ten tournaments of the World Rugby Sevens Series, having qualified by winning the 2017 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier tournament. Spain participated as a core team in the 2012–13 IRB Sevens World Series, but was relegated the following season.
The Georgia national rugby sevens team is a minor national sevens side. They have featured at the Rugby World Cup Sevens on four occasions and compete annually at the Rugby Europe Sevens. They have occasionally qualified for the World Rugby Sevens Series, but they have never been a 'core team' on the Sevens Series. Georgia has participated qualifying tournaments for the Olympics, but have never qualified.
The Uruguay national rugby sevens team participates at the World Rugby and Sudamérica Rugby tournaments for rugby sevens national teams.
Fabian Heimpel is a German international rugby union player, playing for the University of Cape Town RFC and the German national rugby union team.
Rainer Kumm was a German rugby player, who played fly-half for the German national team as well as the German Sevens team, a team he captained in the late 1990s.
The Hong Kong women's sevens rugby union team represents Hong Kong at an international level and plays at the Hong Kong Women's Sevens and other international sevens tournaments.
Kenya women's national rugby sevens team plays in several tournaments including the African Women's Sevens Championship, Dubai Invitational Sevens and the Hong Kong Women's Sevens.
The Ireland women's national rugby sevens team participates in international competitions such as the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the Rugby Europe Women's Sevens and Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics. Unlike the Ireland women's national rugby union team, the sevens team is a professional team with players contracted to the Irish Rugby Football Union.
The Argentina women's national rugby sevens team has been the second most successful team in South America after Brazil. At the CONSUR Women's Sevens, Argentina has been runner-up three times.
The Belgium women's national rugby sevens team are a national sporting side of Belgium, representing them at Rugby sevens.
The 2019 Hong Kong Sevens was a rugby sevens tournament that took place at the Hong Kong Stadium between the 5–7 April 2019. It was the 44th edition of the Hong Kong Sevens, and the seventh tournament of the 2018–19 World Rugby Sevens Series. Sixteen teams competed in the main tournament, while a further twelve competed in a qualifier tournament with the winner getting core team status for the 2019–20 World Rugby Sevens Series.
