The Club Challenge

Sell 50 tickets, send a team. Every club that passes 50 tickets through its own page sends a team of seven into the Club Challenge on club Saturday: a skills race against the other qualifying clubs, in front of the crowd. The winner takes the whole prize pot, and every club that competes takes something home.

How it's decided

A race. Every qualifying club puts a team of seven on the course at the same time, one lane each, and works through a set of rugby skills in turn: throwing, passing, driving, kicking and running. The first team home wins. The exact course, the gates and the team rules are published at least 30 days before the event, so every club trains for the same thing. Every gate is a test of skill. Nothing is decided by a draw.

What your club wins

1. 25tickets

   Your name in the stadium

   Your club is called out in the stadium on club Saturday, in front of every other club in the stand.

2. 50tickets

   A team in the Club Challenge

   Your club races the other qualifying clubs in front of the crowd and is in the running for the whole prize pot.

3. No.1most sold

   The NY Club Cup

   The club that sells the most tickets lifts the NY Club Cup on the day. The trophy goes on sales; the pot is won on the day.

The rules

1. The Club Challenge is run by the organisers of HSBC SVNS New York 2027 (the organisers). Prizes are provided by the organisers and their partners (the prize providers).
2. It is open to rugby clubs with an official HSBC SVNS New York club ticket page. One entry per club. School programmes have their own ladder, centred on the Sunday, finals day: a stadium call-out at 25 tickets, a squad walk-out on the pitch at 50, and the top school by tickets wins a training session with a player and a bag of balls.
3. A club qualifies when 50 or more tickets have been bought through its own club page by the time the club rate closes (currently 20 November 2026), after refunds. Counts are taken from the ticketing system and the organisers' count is final.
4. Each qualifying club enters one team in the Club Challenge, held at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday 13 March 2027, on the pitch or in the fan zone as the organisers decide. Teams must report at the published time; a club that does not take part cannot win the pot.
5. The Club Challenge is a race through a series of rugby skill gates. The first team to complete the course wins. The course, the gates, the team size, who may be in a team and how each gate is judged are published at least 30 days before the event.
6. Every gate is a test of skill. No part of any result, including a tie, is decided by chance. A dead heat is settled by a further skill test.
7. Team members must be 18 or over, current members of the club they represent, and sign the organisers' participation waiver on the day. No gate involves live tackling or lifting.
8. The winning club receives the full prize pot: a set of match kit, beer, HSBC SVNS New York balls, and a training session at the club run by a player or coach from the tournament, on a date agreed with the club in the weeks after the event. Prizes are delivered to the club by the prize providers within 60 days of the event. There is no cash alternative. If a prize becomes unavailable the organisers may substitute one of equal or greater value.
9. Beer is provided only to clubs whose members are 21 or over and is delivered in line with state and local law. School programmes are not in the prize pot; their rewards are set out in rule 2.
10. The winning club may need to complete a tax form before prizes are released and is responsible for any tax due on them.
11. By taking part, a club agrees that the organisers may use its name, crest, and photos and video from the Club Challenge in event communications.
12. The organisers may amend these rules, change the format or cancel the Club Challenge if circumstances require, and will tell qualifying clubs if they do. Their decisions on counts, scoring and results are final.
13. These rules are governed by the laws of the State of New York.