Tonderai Chavhanga (born 24 December 1983) is a South African
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
player. Chavhanga has played for the national team, the
Springboks
The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...
, having been capped four times.
Childhood
Chavhanga was born in
Harare
Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...
,
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
. He was raised by his mother, who had a strong influence on his religious views. His mother worked in construction and built the house in which he grew up. Although poor his mother supported him financially and was the biggest influence on him. His father played very little role in his life, as he remarried and was uninvolved in his up bringing.
Chavhanga played rugby for the first time in Grade 5, at Harare's government-owned Blakiston Primary School. Even at a young age, Tonderai's speed qualities were evident as he was much quicker than his peers. He made first team rugby for three consecutive years at primary school and made the Harare Schools Representative team for three straight years playing fullback.
Chavhanga attended
Prince Edward School
, streetaddress =
, city = Harare
, country = Zimbabwe
, coordinates =
, type = State school, boarding and day school
, established =
, headmaster = Dr. Aggrippa G. Sora
, gender = Boys
, lower_age = 13
, upper_age = 19 ...
in Zimbabwe on a scholarship. He was the youngest player in the history of the school to play for the school's first team.
Career
Chavhanga played for the
Stormers
The Stormers (known for sponsorship reasons as the DHL Stormers) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Cape Town in the Western Cape that competes in the United Rugby Championship, a trans-hemispheric competition that also ...
in the international
Super Rugby
Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It previously included teams from Argentina, Japan, and South Africa. Building on various Southern Hem ...
competition. He left Cape Town in 2010 after he signed a two-year contract with the Lions in September 2009.
Chavhanga made his international debut for the Springboks as a 21-year-old on 11 June 2005 on the right wing, in a home game against
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
at the
Basil Kenyon Stadium in
East London
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
. The Springboks notched up a large victory, winning 134–3. Chavhanga scored six tries in the match and now holds the South African record for the most number of tries scored in one game. He missed the end of year touring matches, because of a quad muscle injury.
He was selected as part of the Springboks squad to tour New Zealand and Australia. He was on the bench for the game against the
All Blacks
The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987 ...
in Christchurch.
He could run the 100 meters in 10.27 seconds, possibly making him the fastest rugby player in South African history.
Chavhanga joined
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
regional side
Newport Gwent Dragons
Dragons RFC ( cy, Dreigiau) are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union and play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport and at other grounds around the region. They play in ...
in September 2011, but was released at the end of the 2012–2013 season.
Chavhanga joins Dragons
/ref>
He returned to South Africa and was included in the squad for the 2013 Currie Cup Premier Division
The 2013 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 75th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 10 August to 26 October 2013. The tournament (known as the Absa Currie Cup Premier Division for sponsorship reasons) was t ...
season.
Test history
Xenophobia
He made a strong statement against xenophobia when he addressed media, in his capacity as a Springbok
The springbok (''Antidorcas marsupialis'') is a medium-sized antelope found mainly in south and southwest Africa. The sole member of the genus ''Antidorcas'', this bovid was first described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm v ...
on the 2008 xenophobic
Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...
attacks. He also clearly stated that he was a Shona, a Zimbabwean ethnic tribe.
See also
*List of South Africa national rugby union players
South Africa national rugby union team players hold several international records. Several players from the South Africa national rugby union team have joined the IRB and International Hall of Fame.
Individual records
Career
South Africa's '' ...
– Springbok no. 768
References
External links
Lions profile
on Springbok Rugby Hall of Fame
on SARugby.com
on itsrugby.co.uk
Tonderai Pace Explosion
Witness the express pace on YouTube.com
Newport Gwent Dragons squad
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavhanga, Tonderai
1983 births
Living people
Rugby union wings
South African rugby union players
South Africa international rugby union players
Stormers players
Western Province (rugby union) players
Dragons RFC players
Alumni of Prince Edward School
Golden Lions players
Lions (United Rugby Championship) players
South African expatriate rugby union players
Expatriate rugby union players in Wales
South African expatriate sportspeople in Wales
Sharks (rugby union) players
South Africa international rugby sevens players
Male rugby sevens players