Springbok Sevens flyer Shilton van Wyk has experienced a lot in his HSBC SVNS career, including many highs and inevitable lows, but he is determined to chase perfection in the forthcoming World Series season.
The 25-year-old made his Blitzbok debut in 2022 and lifted tournament trophies six times out of 27 tournaments. The most memorable of those was in Cape Town last year, when South Africa broke a nine-year dry spell in their own backyard, and for the West Coast native, winning in front of friends, family, and loyal supporters was a special moment.
Come 2026 and the new HSBC SVNS season starting in Dubai in just over two weeks’ time, followed by the Cape Town leg, Van Wyk said he has clear objectives for the season.
“I want to get to 35 tournaments, as this remains a special squad milestone that has been celebrated over many years,” said Van Wyk.
“For me to get to that, I need to be selected regularly during the season, meaning that I will need to be in good enough form to make the team and also stay injury-free. If I get to 35, I will be happy and if we can add a couple of tournament wins to our tally, ever better.”
Van Wyk and the rest of the training squad have been toiling away in the heat at their Stellenbosch training base, and for the outside back, the intensity and clarity are as good as it has ever been.
“We are progressing well, I feel, and the squad has some good depth this year in all positions, so we are pushing each other hard for a place in the squad for Dubai and, of course, Cape Town,” he said.
“We realised how much it means to win at home, so everyone will be keen to repeat that when we come back in December.”
The first target is Dubai, though, where the Blitzboks had their six-tournament winning streak snapped last year. Van Wyk won four Dubai titles and said what happened in 2025 had stung them.
“In hindsight, the defeat in Dubai stung us into action in Cape Town as we needed to bounce back,” he said. “Having said that, we love winning in Dubai and are looking for another good outing at the end of the month.”
Van Wyk recalled a time when Blitzboks’ shares plummeted, and they were also rans on the circuit: “I will never forget the one time we were the very first team to arrive on day one of a tournament and we were almost the only ones in the stadium. And some other teams, which I would not name, were laughing at our performances at that time. Luckily, we could get back to being a dominant team in the World Series.
“From that low, we have achieved some remarkable highs, like winning in Cape Town and then the World Championship in Los Angeles last year.”
The Blitzboks team to travel to the season opener in Dubai will be announced next week, and for Van Wyk, it will be important to be on that team sheet: “I really want to make a difference this year. We have some clear objectives for the season, and Dubai and then Cape Town feature prominently. The fact that I have tasted victory in both tournaments does not matter; the hunger for more remains.”