Velddrif-born try-scoring ace Donovan Don is loving life being back in fifteens rugby after getting his chance to show his skills in the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division with Sanlam Boland Kavaliers.
And after three rounds of Currie Cup action, the Kavas winger finds himself as the top-scorer in this year’s competition with six tries.
And the first of his six touchdowns is one he will cherish forever as it was not only on debut for the Kavas, but also the winning score in Boland’s opening game against the Toyota Cheetahs at Boland Stadium in Wellington.
Then came a hat-trick of tries in a thrill-a-minute clash with the Suzuki Griquas in Kimberley, which the Kavas narrowly lost.
Don Lighting Up Currie Cup
Don, who last played fifteen-man rugby for the Griffons four years ago in the Currie Cup First Division, was not done yet, scoring a brace in the Kavas’ convincing third-round win over the Lions at home.
Sjoe, I didn’t know I would have such a great start to life in this year’s Currie Cup. But I can’t take that credit alone as the team had a great hand in putting me in those positions to go and score those tries. It is because of them that I am currently the top try scorer, and I can only be thankful to God for giving me the talent, because not many guys get this opportunity.
After joining the Blitzboks four years ago and helping coach Philip Snyman’s team win the 2024/25 World Rugby HSBC SVNS Series title, Don adds that the plan was always to try and come back to playing a bit of fifteens.
He explains how the opportunity came about:
I always told myself after sevens I want to go and play fifteens again, I just didn’t know where that would be and when. And then I told coach Philip [Snyman] there is an opportunity for me to go and play some Currie Cup rugby and to go and experience a different environment and not just get used to playing sevens. He said it was totally fine, and then I started discussions with [Kavas] coach Hawies [Fourie], and he said he really wants me to be part of this campaign.
I would, in any case, have been away from playing sevens rugby for two months, with my mates at the sevens only recently returning to training. I am enjoying it thus far and I missed it actually because it has been four years since I last played fifteens. I am loving the environment, and I am getting along well with the players here. From the first day that I arrived here, I felt welcomed.
Although Don has been Boland’s go-to-guy to finish off attacks, he confesses he still gets nervous running out for the Kavas, especially with the playing on a Sunday and the whole country watching.
Playing on a Sunday is nice but also not so nice, because you go out there knowing all eyes are on you as one of the last teams of the round to play. We have been handling that well, especially with such a passionate crowd behind us.
Just to hear the cheering and backing makes us realise that we are not just rugby players but a bunch of guys that are trying to make a difference in this region. As you know, our slogan is to inspire hope and be role models for those kids who are also dreaming of wearing this jersey one day.
Don: Kavas Eye Higher Level v Bulls
With another Sunday Showdown coming up, this time against the Vodacom Bulls, Don says the Kavas are ready to once again go out and prove that they are not playing in this season’s Currie Cup to make up the numbers.
Of leaving it all out on the field this Sunday, he says:
We don’t want to get to the end of the season and tell ourselves we could have done better or look how close we came. So we are totally focused on that goal of getting to the semi-finals and even the final.
Sometimes the ball does not bounce your way but the other way as well. The reality is that we want to play semis and finals and the win against the Lions did a lot to encourage that thought process. We are not Boland, a First Division team that qualified to play here – we are here to compete. And we know the Bulls are going to come for us [after the loss to the Airlink Pumas]… but we won’t stand back and we want to lift our level of play even higher after last week. May the best team win on the day.
Weekend's Currie Cup Fixtures
- Friday: Suzuki Griquas v Hollywoodbest Sharks, 3pm, Suzuki Stadium (Kimberley)
- Saturday: Toyota Cheetahs v Western Province, 2pm, Toyota Stadium (Bloemfontein). Airlink Pumas v ADT Lions, 2pm, Mbombela Stadium (Mbombela)
- Sunday: Sanlam Boland Kavaliers v Vodacom Bulls, 3pm, Boland Stadium (Wellington)
