Overview
- Canada edged Hong Kong 24-19 in sudden-death extra time in the men’s semi-final, then defeated Belgium 28-10 to claim the title in Dubai.
- Both men’s finalists, Canada and Belgium, secured promotion to the three-leg SVNS 2 series scheduled for Nairobi, Montevideo, and Sao Paulo in February and March.
- South Africa’s women went unbeaten and beat Argentina 12-5 in the final after ousting Poland in the semi-finals to capture the inaugural SVNS 3 crown.
- South Africa and Argentina qualified from the women’s side for SVNS 2, which feeds into the new SVNS World Championship Round later in the season.
- The stand-alone SVNS 3 featured eight men’s and eight women’s teams with the top two in each field earning promotion, leaving Hong Kong’s men out until later targets such as the Asian Games.