MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / Sport / Oosthuizen Aiming for Seventh Heaven

Oosthuizen Aiming for Seventh Heaven

Six tournament victories out of eight played is no mean feat, but for Ryan Oosthuizen, another go at glory at the Emirates Dubai 7s tournament this weekend could not come quick enough.

The 2026 HSBC SVNS kicks off this weekend, with The Sevens hosting the opening leg, followed by the HSBC SVNS Cape Town on 6 and 7 December at DHL Stadium (tickets available from Ticketmaster).

Upon departure from Cape Town for the season opener, Oosthuizen opted to reflect on the positive experiences in Dubai, rather than last year, when he was concussed early in the pool stages and ruled out of contention for the remainder of the tournament, ruining his almost perfect experience in the UAE desert.

The experienced Blitzbok forward then missed the second leg of the series, in Cape Town a week later, and enjoyed the first home win for the Blitzboks since 2015 in the stands as a spectator at DHL Stadium.

“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 weakenesses 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.”

Ryan Oosthuizen fact file:

  • Debut: Hong Kong 2016
  • HSBC SVNS tournaments: 56
  • Points: 230 (46 tries)
  • Dubai 7s tournament wins: 6
  • Career HSBC SVNS tournament wins: 11

The tournament, starting on Saturday 29 November, will be broadcast live on SuperSport, with the opening match at 08h58 (SA time).

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Fun South African fact

    Dear Editor Fun South African fact: towns like Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are home to world-class wine farms set in stunning, scenic surroundings. Regards Aressa Smith In Response to/From: Luxury Properties Seized in New Lottery Crackdown

  • Condolences on the Passing of Lusanda Dumke

    Statement by Leander Kruger MPL – DA Buffalo City Constituency Leader: The Democratic Alliance in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality mourns the passing of Springbok Women’s rugby player and Mdantsane trailblazer, Lusanda Dumke, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 28. South Africa has lost an exceptional athlete, a leader, and a source…

  • Rape Kits Delivered, But…

    Statement by Nicholas Gotsell MP – DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice: The DA can confirm that 2 840 rape kits arrived in Cape Town on Monday, following sustained DA oversight and pressure after multiple police stations across the Western Cape were found to be without this critical forensic evidence tool. While this delivery…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bails, the horizontal pegs that sit on top of the stumps, are not attached to the top surface. Instead, they rest on shallow grooves on the free ends of the stumps. Bails are critical for determining if the wicket has been put down or broken. This in turn will help identify the status of the batsman, if he has been run out, out bowled, or stumped.