Cape Town will host the 10th HSBC SVNS rugby sevens tournament on 6 and 7 December, featuring intense matches and fan activities amid planned road closures. Spectators are urged to use MyCiti shuttles and designated parking to avoid traffic. The South African Blitzboks aim to improve after a fifth-place finish in Dubai.
The HSBC SVNS arrives in Cape Town for its 10th edition, drawing rugby fans to the city over the weekend of 6 and 7 December. Organizers have outlined measures to manage crowds and traffic, including free MyCiti shuttle services from Civic Centre, Thibault Square, and Stadium stations. These shuttles start at 8.30am each day, aligning with gates opening at 9am and the first match kicking off at 10am. Return services run until 9.30pm on Saturday and 7.30pm on Sunday.
Parking options include 475 bays at the Civic Centre, available from 7.30am on a first-come, first-served basis via Hertzog Boulevard and Civic Road. Additional spots are at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and on-street. For e-hailing users, a drop-off zone is set on P14 in Green Point Main Road between York Road and Wigtown Road.
Road closures begin at 6am both days, affecting Fritz Sonnenberg Road at Bay Road, Stephen Way at Fritz Sonnenberg, Vlei Road at Helen Suzman Boulevard, and Granger Bay Boulevard at the Green Point A-Track Parking. These steps aim to ease congestion around the stadium.
On the field, the women's tournament opens with Japan versus Canada at 10am on Saturday. The men's action features the Blitzboks in Pool A alongside New Zealand, Fiji, and Great Britain. South Africa faces Fiji at 12.44pm, New Zealand at 4pm, and Great Britain at 7.41pm. After placing fifth in Dubai last week, where they lost 29-10 to Fiji, Blitzboks winger Tristan Leyds expressed determination. “The boys definitely weren’t happy with what we put out in Dubai,” Leyds said. “I think one of the things that we said after the tournament was we didn’t respect our ball as much as we did last year.” He added, “We’re going to have a hard look at ourselves at our performance.”
Saturday includes 24 games, with top pool teams advancing to Sunday semifinals. Finals are set for 4.10pm (women) and 4.43pm (men). Pool A men: Springbok Sevens, New Zealand, Fiji, Great Britain. Pool B men: Australia, Argentina, France, Spain. Women Pool A: New Zealand, Fiji, Great Britain, USA. Women Pool B: Australia, Canada, France, Japan.