Blitzboks forward Ryan Oosthuizen says every match in this season’s revamped SVNS Series will carry “the intensity of a final”.
The 2025-26 SVNS season kicks off in Dubai this weekend before shifting to Cape Town Stadium on 6 and 7 December.
Oosthuizen is eager to get going after last year’s frustrating experience in the UAE, where he was concussed early and ruled out of the tournament.
He also missed the second leg of the series, in Cape Town a week later, and watched a first home win for the Blitzboks since 2015 in the stands as a spectator.
“That was great to see, although I would have loved to be on the field, but that is the way it sometimes goes,” said Oosthuizen, now preparing for his 57th SVNS tournament.
The Blitzboks veteran is closing in on 50 SVNS tries – he sits on 46 – but insists personal milestones mean nothing compared to the challenge that awaits in the new-look format.
“The format has changed for this season and it is going to be a dog fight,” he said. “With only the best eight teams playing, every match will have the intensity of a final and one can expect every match, from the first one in the pool, to be very competitive. We will have to be spot on in our execution from the first minute.”
Continuity is one of the Blitzboks’ strengths heading into Dubai, with 11 of the 13 squad members having featured in last season’s final tournament in Los Angeles.
“Some of us have been playing for this team since 2016 and we have several guys with multiple caps, so we know each other well,” said Oosthuizen. “That will help us out of tight spots. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and can adapt accordingly.”
After a demanding pre-season, Oosthuizen says the squad is ready for the intensity ahead.
“We’ve put in a lot of work over the last couple of weeks in the various stages of our pre-season and we will be ready. Everyone is excited about playing in the green and gold again and we will be up for it.”
Springbok Sevens squad: Christie Grobbelaar, Ryan Oosthuizen, Impi Visser (c), Zain Davids, Ricardo Duarttee, Ronald Brown, Selvyn Davids, Shilton van Wyk, Mfundo Ndhlovu, Donavan Don, David Brits, Zander Reynders, Tristan Leyds.
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2025-26 SVNS tournaments:
29-30 November: Dubai
6-7 December: Cape Town
31 January – 1 February: Singapore
7-8 February: Perth
7-8 March: Vancouver
14-15 March: Los Angeles
17-19 April: Hong Kong
29-31 May: Valladolid
5-7 June: Bordeaux
Photo: Misha Jordaan/Gallo Images
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