Van Wyk hoping to repeat debut heroics as Blitzboks return to Dubai Sevens

Blitzbok flyer Shilton van Wyk returns to the scene of a triumphant desert debut at the Dubai Sevens four years ago, hoping to recreate past successes and get the Springbok Sevens team’s campaign off to a fast, winning start this weekend.

Van Wyk burst onto the international rugby sevens stage in the UAE in November 2021, at 21-years old, immediately turning heads by scoring a try in each of his first three matches against Japan, Ireland, and Great Britain. The Blitzboks went on to win the tournament and followed up with another title just a week later.

“It was a dream come true to make my debut for the Springbok Sevens, especially here in Dubai, where the Springbok Sevens had massive success over the past years.” said the Saldanha speedster.

Since then, Dubai has remained a happy hunting ground for Van Wyk. He returned from the Middle East victorious in 2023 and 2024. Van Wyk has represented South Africa in 27 HSBC SVNS tournaments and scored 52 tries, the last coming at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, helping the Blitzboks secure the HSBC SVNS World Championship in their final outing of the 2025 season. 

With the 2026 season kicking off under a new format and with a revised number of teams, Van Wyk knows the key to success remains the same: a fast start.

“We need a fast start, that is for sure,” he said as the team prepared to face France in their Pool A opener on Saturday. “And after that, we need to maintain that momentum.

“The goal we set in preseason is to dominate from the get-go, so we just want to get out the blocks and get a great start. We need to dominate from the outset and start the season on a high note. I think the first tournament sets the tone for the rest of the season, so if we can start on a high this weekend, most probably we can end the season on a high as well.”

Van Wyk still has vivid memories of his debut. 

“I remember those two tournaments in 2021 and how massive it was for me and my family,” he said.

“To become a Blitzbok was very significant and to be a successful one even more so. But that is in the past, and to give justice to those memories, we need to be spot-on here this weekend. We trained well in our pre-season and arrived ready, so we are good to go.”

The Springbok Sevens will also get a boost from the return of Renfred Dazel as assistant coach. The former Blitzbok star rejoins Philip Snyman’s coaching team to bring his experience to The Sevens Stadium.

Dazel said returning to Dubai in a Blitzbok capacity also brought back memories of past successes as a player.

“We had some excellent results here indeed, and not all of them on the A-field in finals,” he said.

“There was also an A-side that came here every year, and they learned valuable lessons playing on the outside pitches in the International Invitational tournament. Some big names started out on those pitches in the past.

"It is great to be part of the Blitzboks set-up. This team has set high standards, and our job this year will be to make sure we stick to that.”

A win in Dubai at the weekend would boost the Blitzboks' confidence as they return to Cape Town for the defence of their title next weekend.