Blitzbok veteran Ryan Oosthuizen eager to return to happy Dubai hunting ground

By SABC Sport
25th November 2025

Ryan Oosthuizen is eager to return to the Blitzboks' happiest hunting ground in Dubai this weekend, where they have won six of their last eight tournaments.

The 2026 HSBC SVNS series kicks off at The Sevens in Dubai, with the Cape Town leg scheduled for the following weekend of 6 and 7 December at DHL Stadium.

Oosthuizen, who missed much of last year's Dubai tournament after suffering a concussion in the pool stages, said he is focusing on the positives ahead of this season's opener. The experienced Blitzbok forward also missed the Cape Town leg but was able to witness the team's first home win since 2015 from the stands.

"Yes, 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, who will be playing in his 57th world-series tournament.

Oosthuizen is also closing in on 50 world series tries - he is currently on 46 - but for the six-time champion, Dubai is not about personal accolades or achievements.

"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.

Eleven of the 13 players selected for the opening tournament formed part of the final tournament of the previous season in Los Angeles and Oosthuizen feels the experience in the squad will help in those tense matches looming.

"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," he said. "That will help us out of tight spots I believe. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses and can adapt accordingly."

They leave prepared and will be ready, Oosthuizen promised: "We did 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."