How the Velddrift flyer blitzed his way to another trophy
INTERVIEW: Donavan Don is blitz, very rapid with the ball in hand.
However, not only does he have a knack for scoring tries, on the Sevens circuit, he has also blitzed his teammates to another accolade.
Last week, Don was named MyPlayers’ Sevens Player of the Year, beating off the challenges of BlitzBok teammates Impi Visser and Shilton van Wyk.
(Continue below ….)
He was an integral part of the South African team that was crowned Sevens World Champions in Los Angeles earlier this year.
South Africa beat Spain to the World Championship crown in the season-ending event in LA back in May.
The win came after the BlitzBoks sneaked into the series finale, after an erratic season.
They then hit form when it mattered most, winning in LA to be crowned champions.
“Winning this award is an incredible honour,” Don said about the MyPlayers accolade, bestowed upon him by his peers.
“I’m truly grateful for the recognition and for everyone who has supported me throughout the season.
“It motivates me to keep growing, improving and to always give my best.”
Speaking about that dramatic season-ending win in Los Angeles, the 23-year-old said some brutally honest introspection helped them almost missing the cut to be crowned World Champions for the 2024-25 season on the Sevens World Series circuit.
“We had to adjust our game to suit the players we have in the team,” he told @rugby365com, when asked about the changes they implemented.
“The game changed when they reduced it to just eight core teams on the circuit,” he said, adding: “Now every game counts.
“If you lose your first game, your are already in trouble, as your tournament is over for all intents and purposes.”
The BlitzBoks, often depicted as lightweights and the ‘smallest’ team on the circuit, showed that they don’t stand even for the Fijian giants.
“It is the size of our hearts [desire] that helps us.
“Most of the other players may be bigger than us, but if we pitch physically, then the teams run scared of us.”
He said there is a brotherhood in the team that also sets the BlitzBoks apart, always covering for each other and supporting one another if something goes wrong.
After his exploits on the Sevens circuit, the Velddrift-born try-scoring ace was given a chance to put his skill on display in the 15-a-side game, playing a starring role for the Boland Cavaliers in the Currie Cup.
And he showed his class when, on debut for the Kavas, he produced the winning score in Boland’s opening game against the Cheetahs in Wellington.
He finished as the tournament’s top try scorer with nine.
“It helped me with my confidence,” he said of his first Currie Cup campaign.
“It was a challenge to go from a professional set-up [Sevens] to a semi-pro team,” he said of the Cavaliers, where many of his teammates still held down a full-time day job and arrived for training only after work.
“That opened my eyes to see the passion of those guys and their hard work.
“Some of them even had to return to work after training.
“It made me realise how privileged I am [in Sevens].”
Having missed the 2024 Olympic Games through injury, Don has now set his sights on the LA games in 2028.
Don, schooled at Louwville in Vredenburg, studied at Cape Peninsula University of Technology before his talents were spotted and he was offered a Sevens contract.
@rugby365com
