Van Wyk eager to give Blitzboks a fast start in Dubai
It will be almost four years to the day when a bright-eyed 21-year-old Shilton van Wyk ran onto the pitch at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, representing the Springbok Sevens for the first time on the international stage.
On that day, 30 November 2021, the Saldanha speedster made an immediate impression, scoring a try in each of his first three matches – against Japan, Ireland and Great Britain – and as the saying goes, the rest was history.
The Blitzboks won the tournament and went back-to-back a week later at the same venue. Van Wyk also returned from Middle East victorious in 2023 and 2024, giving him an 80%-win ratio in the Emirates Dubai Sevens.
The outside back has now represented South Africa in 27 HSBC SVNS tournaments and true to class, helped the Blitzboks to claim the HSBC SVNS World Championship in their last outing of the 2025 season, with the last of his 52 tries scored at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles.
For the 2026 season, the format is different and the number of teams has changed, but Van Wyk’s instincts as a sprinter still dictates his mindset for the weekend.
“We need a fast start, that is for sure,” he said on Wednesday as the team focus shifts to France, their first opponent on Saturday.
“And after that, we need to maintain that momentum. We need to dominate from the outset and start the season on a high note.”
Van Wyk’s debut memories are pleasant and that will remain with a good showing this weekend.
“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 team’s attack has been boosted by the return of Renfred Dazel as assistant coach, with the former Blitzbok sweeper re-joining the fray to strengthen the hand of Philip Snyman.
Dazel said his return to Dubai in Blitzbok colours reminded him of all the good things the squad achieved over the years.
“We had some excellent results here indeed and not all of them on the A-field in finals,” said Dazel
“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 have set high standards and our job this year will be to make sure we stick to that.”
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