Visser: We have many reasons to do well in Dubai

It was an umpteenth trip to the Emirates Dubai Sevens for Impi Visser on Monday but the first time as Springbok Sevens captain – little wonder he represented the Blitzboks with dignified pride and confidence at the official captains photo this week.

Visser is eager for the tournament to start as he firmly believes his team will carry that pride and confidence onto the pitch at The Sevens on Saturday and Sunday.

“It will be a ‘no excuses’ weekend for us,” said Visser after the photo was taken.

“We came prepared and are an experienced squad, so we just need to go out and make things happen on the field.

“We want to lay down a marker early and keep improving on that. We arrived here as the top ranked team and want to show that it is still the case.”

The Blitzboks are the most experienced team in Dubai, with a combined 339 tournament caps. They are followed by Argentina, with 331 and Spain, on 328 and Visser believes this will benefit the South Africans.

“It certainly helps to have heaps of experience, especially knowing how fast this game is and at what intensity it is played at,” said the Blitzbok forward, who has scored 45 tries in his 46 HSBC SVNS tournaments so far.

“We should not be surprised by anything from our opponents or the tournament itself.”

A good start is important due to the changed format of the series but Visser reckons there is more: “Every match is crucial, and slip-ups will be punished, so we need to keep our standards high from the start. There are other benefits too by doing well in Dubai.

“Knowing that coach (Philip Snyman) wants to bring in some players during the season to build some depth also encourages us to do well here, as that will assist him in that aim. We are all as strong as the system and if we support making it stronger, we will be strong as well.”

The focus is on France in their opening match on Saturday but Visser is not oblivious to another factor that will come into play with a good performance this weekend.

“Another bonus for us, by doing well here, is that it will hopefully encourage more people to come to the Cape Town tournament next weekend,” he said.

“We would love nothing more than a stadium full of support when we get there next week but for that to happen, we need to do our part in Dubai on Saturday and Sunday.”

Tickets for the HSBC SVNS Cape Town, from R250 per person per day, are available from Ticketmaster.

Most Dubai tournament appearances for South Africa

11: Kyle Brown

10: Branco du Preez

8: Philip Snyman & Frankie Horne

Springbok Sevens squad for Dubai (with HSBC SVNS stats)

#1 Christie Grobbelaar – 23 tournaments, 170 points (34 tries)

#2 Ryan Oosthuizen – 56 tournaments, 230 points (46 tries)

#3 Impi Visser (captain) – 46 tournaments, 225 points (45 tries)

#4 Zain Davids – 53 tournaments, 245 points (49 tries)

#5 Ricardo Duarttee – 19 tournaments, 296 points (23 tries, 89 conversions, 1 penalty)

#7 Ronald Brown – 20 tournaments, 425 points (43 tries, 105 conversions)

#8 Selvyn Davids – 42 tournaments, 737 points (96 tries, 126 conversions, 1 penalty)

#12 Shilton van Wyk – 27 tournaments, 260 points (52 tries)

#13 Mfundo Ndhlovu – 19 tournaments, 125 points (25 tries)

#15 Donavan Don – 9 tournaments, 59 points (11 tries, 2 conversions)

#19 David Brits – 9 tournaments, 40 points (8 tries)

#21 Zander Reynders – 6 tournaments, 15 points (3 tries)

#24 Tristan Leyds – 11 tournaments, 132 points (16 tries, 26 conversions)

2026 HSBC SVNS schedule

29-30 November 2025: Dubai

6-7 December 2025: Cape Town

31 January-1 February: Singapore

7-8 February: Perth

7-8 March: Vancouver

14-15 March: New York

17-19 April: Hong Kong (World Championship Series, Round 1)

29-31 May: Valladolid (World Championship Series, Round 2)

5-7 June: Bordeaux (World Championship Series, Round 3)

Cape Town ticket prices (per person per day)

Category A: R600 (west and east, lower tier, on the half-way line)

Category B: R450 (west and east, lower tier, 10m-line towards the corners)

Category C: R350 (north and south, lower tier, Party and Family stands)

Category D: R250 (levels two and three, unreserved seating)

Family special: R750 (four tickets in blocks 105 to 112)

Disabled: R450 (includes disabled person and partner)

Tickets are only available through Ticketmaster.co.za. Supporters should not buy from online ‘re-sellers’, such as Viagogo and others, as these entities do not have access to tickets and charge inflated prices without any guarantee of tickets being delivered.