For Donavan Don, last weekend’s season opening tournament in Dubai felt like his Springbok Sevens debut all over again, something the Blitzbok flyer is sure will happen again this weekend in Cape Town, where the DHL Stadium will play host to the second tournament of the 2025 HSBC SVNS series.
Don made his Blitzbok debut as a 21-year-old in Hong Kong in 2023 and played in Singapore a week later for a satisfying start to his sevens career, which then stalled. He looked set for a proper season in 2024, but he only played in Perth in January this year due to injuries.
Come the new season, Don was keen to grab his opportunities with both hands and did so with aplomb at last weekend’s Emirates Dubai 7s.
Playing outside centre and on the wing in his first appearance at The SEVENS, he scored four well-taken tries, including a match-winner against France to secure a top finish in their pool on Saturday.
“That was a great feeling and something that will stay for me for a while, as it is always nice to score a try that really matters, in this case, us winning the pool, which was a first objective for the tournament,” said Don upon the team’s arrival in Cape Town on Monday.
“Unfortunately, we did not follow through on the second day, something we had time to reflect on coming home. Cape Town will be something else, as I will also make my debut here if selected.”
Don realises it is going to be tough for all the teams this weekend, but the Blitzboks are excited to play in front of their home crowd.
“We must make sure they are rewarded for coming out to support the team,” said Don, who hails from Velddrif on the West Coast.
“We are disappointed with our placing in Dubai, but I know we can improve this weekend. The time spent together on tour was great for us as a squad and we bonded nicely. We will be playing for each other this weekend and such for the country as well.”
A new format will be in place this weekend. Each team will play only two pool matches on Saturday, with the four pool winners progressing to the semi-finals, which will make it even more demanding, as teams who lose a pool game will have a very small chance of progressing to the Cup playoffs on Sunday.
“Teams can’t afford to lose, but that will only motivate us even more,” said Don.
“We know that we are good enough to compete against any team, the belief is there. The challenge is to bring it all together this weekend and we will be up for that.”
Meanwhile, the weekend schedule has been confirmed. On Saturday, the Blitzboks will play Ireland at 11h44 and Argentina at 18h41 in their pool matches.
HSBC SVNS Cape Town pool fixtures – Saturday, 7 December
Women:
09:00: USA v Fiji
09:22: Ireland v Spain
09:44: Japan v China
10:06: Canada v Brazil
12:16: Great Britain v Fiji
12h:8: France v Spain
13:00: New Zealand v China
13:22: Australia v Brazil
15:42: Great Britain v USA
16:04: France v Ireland
16h:6: New Zealand v Japan
16:48: Australia v Canada
Men:
10:38: France v USA
11:00: Australia v Kenya
11:22: Great Britain v Uruguay
11:44: South Africa v Ireland
13:54: New Zealand v USA
14:16: Spain v Kenya
14:38: Fiji v Uruguay
15:00: Argentina v Ireland
17:35: New Zealand v France
17:57: Spain v Australia
18:19: Fiji v Great Britain
18:41: Argentina v South Africa
