Springbok Sevens flyhalf Tristan Leyds has been named the HSBC SVNS Men’s Player of the Year for the 2025/26 season, with the award confirmed at the season-ending ceremony in Bordeaux, France, following the HSBC SVNS World Championship Final.
Leyds saw off competition from Australia’s Henry Hutchison and Fiji’s Vuiviwa Naduvalo to claim the honour, which is voted on and presented in partnership with HSBC. The award caps a remarkable individual season for the 24-year-old Somerset West-born playmaker, who was the creative heartbeat of a Blitzboks side that dominated the SVNS circuit for much of the campaign.
The numbers behind his season tell a compelling story. According to SA Rugby’s official statistics, Leyds recorded the following across the 2025/26 HSBC SVNS series:
- Tries: 15
- Conversions: 22
- Points scored: 119
- Metres made: 1,578
- Ball carries: 129
- Defenders beaten: 40
- Tackles made: 123
The Blitzboks won four consecutive tournament titles during the season — in Perth, Vancouver, New York and Hong Kong — with Leyds a driving force in each, combining sharp tactical kicking with incisive playmaking in the number ten channel.
He earned Player of the Final honours at Vancouver after controlling the pace of a dominant 38-12 victory over Spain, and delivered a match-winning try deep into extra time against Great Britain in the Valladolid pool stages.
South Africa went on to finish runners-up in Valladolid before heading to Bordeaux as the number one seed for the World Championship Final.
Leyds made his Blitzbok debut in Perth in 2024 and comes from a family steeped in rugby, with older brother Dillyn Leyds having represented the Springboks in fifteens and enjoyed a successful club career in France with Stade Rochelais.
Tristan’s own medal cabinet already includes a bronze from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and a HSBC SVNS World Championship gold from the previous season.
His Player of the Year award is the latest individual recognition in what has been a breakout season for South African sevens rugby.
📸 Images via SABC Sport / Gallo Images
