New Zealand 7s vs France 7s

France led by two converted tries with roughly four minutes remaining and appeared to have the game managed. Pouzelgues had been electric, but his sin-binning for a high tackle earlier in the second half gave New Zealand a window they exploited through Kitiona Vai's try.

Once Solo struck, France had no time to respond. The All Blacks Sevens' refusal to panic under the Stade de Bordeaux lights — and their ability to execute under extreme pressure — flipped a match that looked lost.

Roderick Solo (New Zealand 7s) — The match-winner. Solo's last-gasp try capped a composed all-round performance. The fact he missed the Paris Olympics through an ACL rupture makes the moment even more significant for the All Blacks Sevens.

Ngarohi McGarvey-Black (New Zealand 7s) — Scored one try, assisted another, and was the creative heartbeat of New Zealand's attack throughout. His no-look pass in the build-up to Kitiona Vai's score was a highlight.

Selyan Pouzelgues (France 7s) — The young Frenchman dazzled with his footwork, scoring a memorable individual try and looking dangerous every time he touched the ball. His yellow card for a high tackle on Jayden Keelan was costly, but his overall impact was undeniable.

Antoine Zeghdar (France 7s) — Opened the scoring for France and was a constant threat on the edge. Part of the Monégasque contingent that has become a fixture in this France 7s side.

Roderick Solo (New Zealand 7s)

New Zealand's 26-21 victory continued their stranglehold over France in the all-time head-to-head, which now stands at 36 wins for New Zealand to France's 9 from 45 meetings since 2011.

The scoreline alone tells only part of the story. New Zealand were two scores down in the second half and had to rely on a try in the final play to snatch it — not a dominant performance so much as a resilient one. France, by contrast, will rue the period Pouzelgues spent in the sin bin, during which New Zealand scored 10 unanswered points.

As pool-stage contests go, this was a high-leverage affair: the loser would enter the final pool match needing results elsewhere to reach the quarter-finals. France's subsequent 22-14 win over Argentina showed their quality, but the bonus-point nature of this loss (they took none from the match) hung over their tournament until Sunday's knockouts.

New Zealand went 2-0 on Day One (also beating Germany 33-7) and secured a quarter-final berth, eventually reaching the Cup Final. France, despite this setback, recovered to beat Argentina and Germany to also qualify for the knockout stage.

The hosts then made history: France 7s went on to win their home tournament for the first time in 21 years, beating New Zealand 14-5 in the Cup Final on Sunday 7 June, with Pouzelgues scoring the match-winner with 31 seconds left — a poetic reversal of this pool-stage result.

South Africa secured the overall HSBC SVNS World Championship Series title after reaching the semi-finals in Bordeaux. New Zealand finished second overall, and Spain placed third — their best-ever finish.

A classic sevens game defined by momentum swings and late drama. New Zealand showed champion composure to snatch victory from a losing position, but Sunday's final proved this Bordeaux crowd had the last word. The result confirmed that on any given day in sevens, no lead is safe.

France later avenged this defeat by beating New Zealand 14-5 in the Cup Final on 7 June 2026, with Selyan Pouzelgues scoring the winner with 31 seconds left. South Africa were crowned overall HSBC SVNS World Champions for 2026.