The boy from a Zimbabwean village who rose to Springbok fame – but it was in Newport where Tonderai Chavhanga once rediscovered his love for the game.
One of the fastest players of his generation - he could run the 100 metres in 10.27 seconds - Chavhanga spent over a decade at the very top of the game.
The wing remains part of South African rugby folklore after holding the record for the most tries scored in a Springboks game – he amazingly crossed the line six times against Uruguay on his 2005 Test debut.
Chavhanga also retains an aura around Rodney Parade after a memorable two-year spell that saw him arrive in South Wales in 2011 after missing out on World Cup selection.
Many fans, to this day, insist the humble, charming and modest back remains the fastest player they have ever seen pull on a jersey for Dragons.
His route to the top of the game, though, started in the humblest of beginnings at a place he is proud to call home - in Masvingo Province in Zimbabwe.
“I grew up in a very small village, where I was raised by a most loving grandma,” said family-man Chavhanga, who has a daughter, Eva, and son, Eli.
“My late uncle moved me to Harare, when I was in grade six. I quickly learnt how to speak English and found it easy to make friends because of sport. “I was introduced to rugby when I was in grade seven and I fell in love with the sport.
"I used to tell my friends at school that I was going to play for the Springboks and it seemed like a ridiculous dream.”
That dream was to become a reality just two years after Chavhanga arrived in South Africa to join Free State Cheetahs. In doing so he became the first black player from Zimbabwe to wear the famous green and gold jersey, paving the way for the likes of Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira and Brian Mujati in years to come.
His debut - given to him by Jake White, who famously dubbed him even fastest than Bryan Habana – came against Uruguay and was to introduce him to the rugby world in the most dramatic of fashion.
The lightening quick, then 21-year-old, wing ran in six tries in a 134-3 thumping in East London. An injury curse, though, was to hit Chavhanga’s career during his time at the Stormers.
He would return to the Test fold in 2007 for the Tri-Nations, but any hopes of making the World Cup a year later disappeared.
He later moved to the Lions to be reunited with White but barely played due to injury before Dragons and Head Coach Darren Edwards came calling in 2011.
“I had lost my passion for rugby, but going to Newport and the Dragons was the best decision I could have ever made,” said Chavhanga, who scored ten tries in 28 appearances over two seasons.
“It was a fresh start and I really enjoyed my time in Wales. It was a new culture and full of new experiences and places for me to play. I have nothing but fond memories of that time.”
