Spain 7s W vs Great Britain 7s W

The momentum was established inside the first four minutes. Spain's two quick-fire tries through Garcia and Morales forced Great Britain onto the back foot before they had established any rhythm in possession. With Spain holding 62% of possession overall — and 73% in the second half — Great Britain spent most of the match defending. Spain's ruck success rate of 100% (14/14) meant they rarely lost attacking ball, while Great Britain won just six of their eight rucks (75%).

• Maria Garcia (Spain): Opened the scoring in the 3rd minute and was a constant menace in the carry, part of a Spanish attack that racked up 245 metres from 27 carries (10 defenders beaten, 4 clean breaks).
• Abril Camacho Ruiz (Spain): Scored Spain's fourth try and carried with physicality throughout, a key part of Spain's offload game that yielded 3 offloads from 41 passes.
• Katie Shillaker (Great Britain): Scored her side's first try and was one of the few British players able to breach Spain's defensive line. She later scored again in the 9th-place semi-final against Brazil.
• Heather Cowell (Great Britain): Scored a late try in what was the final match of her rugby career, adding a meaningful moment to a difficult afternoon for the British side.

The 29-10 scoreline undersells Spain's territorial dominance. Spain made 245 metres to Great Britain's 164 and earned four clean breaks to two. The 62/38 possession split widened to 73/27 in the second half, as Spain choked the game out. Defensively, Spain made just 10 tackles to Great Britain's 18 — a reflection of how little time the ball spent in Spain's half. The most telling stat: Spain converted only 2 of 5 tries (40%), meaning they left at least 13 points on the pitch. A more clinical afternoon could have produced an even wider margin.

This win sent Spain into the Cup quarter-finals against Australia, where they fell 14-0, but their top-eight finish in Bordeaux confirmed their promotion to SVNS 1 — the top division of the HSBC SVNS Series — for the 2026–27 season. For Great Britain, the defeat ended any mathematical chance of remaining in the top tier. They dropped into the 9th-place play-offs, where they beat Brazil 19-7 before facing Argentina. The result means Spain will be a core team on next season's circuit, while Great Britain will compete in SVNS 2.

Spain were sharper, faster and more organised from the first whistle. Great Britain's inability to retain possession or convert their limited opportunities made the result a formality by half-time. It was a statement performance from a Spanish side that timed its run perfectly on the final weekend of the season.