Ryan Oosthuizen embracing fatherhood as Blitzboks gear up for revamped SVNS Series

The 30-year-old forward and his wife, Chané, welcomed their first child, Alexander, in July - a life change that Oosthuizen says has reshaped how he approaches both rugby and life.

"Being a father is not at all how I thought it would be - it's all better than I could have imagined," he told Netwerk24. "It really puts life into perspective. You actually have a reason to live, and I think twice now before I do anything for myself."

Oosthuizen, who has played in 56 tournaments since his debut in Hong Kong in 2017, will be part of the Blitzboks squad entering a revamped SVNS Series format that reduces the number of top-tier teams from 12 to eight for the first six events of the season.

Only South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, France, Great Britain and Spain will compete before the field expands to 12 teams for the final three tournaments.

"I'm really excited about the new season," Oosthuizen said. "It's going to be interesting to see how things work out with only eight teams participating. It might be fun at the beginning, but as the season progresses you might get tired of playing against the same teams all the time."

The 2025-26 SVNS Series begins in Dubai on 29â-30 December before heading to Cape Town the following weekend â” a stretch Oosthuizen describes as the highlight of the year.

"To win in Cape Town, like the guys did last year, is really great," he said. "There's always a good spirit in Cape Town and it makes you go on a nice holiday afterwards."

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