Deon Davids
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use South African English|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name = Deon Davids
| image =
| fullname = Deon Horace Davids
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1968|02|11|df=y}}
| birth_place = Victoria West, South Africa
| height = {{height|m=1.88}}
| weight = {{cvt|102|kg|lb stlb}}
| nickname =
| occupation =
| school = Albert Myburgh Secondary School, Bredasdorp
| university = University of the Western Cape
| relatives =
| position = Number eight / Flanker / Lock
| currentclub =
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 =
| years1 =
| clubs1 = {{Rut|Boland}}
| apps1 =
| points1 =
| coachyears1 = 1998
| coachteams1 = Villagers Worcester
| coachyears2 = 2002
| coachteams2 = Boland College
| coachyears3 = 2002
| coachteams3 = Boland 'A'
| coachyears4 = 2002
| coachteams4 = South Africa Students
| coachyears5 = 2002–2006
| coachteams5 = {{Rut|Boland Cavaliers}}
(assistant coach)
| coachyears6 = 2005
| coachteams6 = African Leopards
| coachyears7 = 2006–2007
| coachteams7 = {{Rut|Boland Cavaliers}}
(Vodacom Cup)
| coachyears8 = 2007–2009
| coachteams8 = {{Rut|Boland Cavaliers}}
(head coach)
| coachyears9 = 2008
| coachteams9 = Emerging Springboks
(assistant coach)
| coachyears10 = 2009
| coachteams10 = South Africa Under-20
(assistant coach)
| coachyears11 = 2010–2011
| coachteams11 = {{Rut|UWC}}
(head coach)
| coachyears12 = 2011–2012
| coachteams12 = {{Rut|Golden Lions}}
(Vodacom Cup)
| coachyears13 = 2011–2012
| coachteams13 = {{Rut|Golden Lions}}
(Under-21)
| coachyears14 = 2012–2015
| coachteams14 = {{Rut|SWD Eagles}}
(academy head coach)
| coachyears15 = 2015
| coachteams15 = {{Rut|SWD Eagles}}
(director of coaching)
| coachyears16 = 2016–2019
| coachteams16 = {{Rut|Southern Kings}}
| coachyears17 = 2016–2017
| coachteams17 = {{Rut|SWD Eagles}}
(head coach)
| clubupdate = 4 December 2015
| repupdate = 4 December 2015
}}
Deon Horace Davids (born 11 February 1968 in Victoria West, South Africa) is a South African rugby union coach, most recently the head coach of the {{Rut|Southern Kings}} Pro14 franchise.{{SA Rugby Player Profile | id=24968 | name=Deon Davids | date=30 May 2016}}
Career
Davids played as a number eight, flanker or lock and spent the majority of his career playing in the Boland Super League, as well as playing for university side {{Rut|UWC}}. He played for Villagers Worcester, where he also took over as coach, guiding them to the Boland Super League B title in 1998. He also guided Boland College to a title win in 2002 before he was appointed as the assistant coach to Hawies Fourie at provincial side {{Rut|Boland Cavaliers}}.{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2002/09/11/29/2.html | title=Hawies Fourie neem leisels by Boland oor | work=Die Burger | date=11 September 2002 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208075623/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2002/09/11/29/2.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | df=dmy-all }}
With Davids coaching the forwards, Boland Cavaliers won the Currie Cup First Division in 2003 and 2004 and the Vodacom Shield in 2004. When Fourie left to become the backline coach of the {{Rut|Stormers}} for the 2006 Super Rugby campaign, Davids took over as the head coach of the Vodacom Cup side,{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2005/11/17/DB/25/hawies.html | title=Hawies gaan Stormers help brei | work=Die Burger | date=17 November 2005 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208072945/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2005/11/17/DB/25/hawies.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | df=dmy-all }} but remained as the assistant to Fourie and Director of Rugby Rudy Joubert in the Currie Cup competition. When Fourie permanently left to join the {{Rut|Free State Cheetahs}} coaching staff in 2007, Davids was appointed as the head coach of the Boland Cavaliers for the 2007 Currie Cup Premier Division,{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2007/05/31/KS/30/spt-davids.html | title=Davids brei Kavaliers | work=Die Burger | date=31 May 2007 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208074923/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2007/05/31/KS/30/spt-davids.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }} guiding them to seventh spot in the competition. His side reached the quarter-finals of the 2007 Vodacom Cup before Davids assisted Chester Williams in coaching the Emerging Springboks side to victory in the 2008 IRB Nations Cup competition held in Romania.{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2008/05/16/KS/35/spt-opkom16.html | title=Chester brei naasbestes | work=Son | date=16 May 2008 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208074646/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2008/05/16/KS/35/spt-opkom16.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }} Upon his return to South Africa, he once again helped Boland Cavaliers finish in seventh spot in the 2008 Currie Cup Premier Division.
He helped the Boland Cavaliers make another quarter final appearance in the 2008 Vodacom Cup, before he was appointed as the assistant to Eric Sauls for the South Africa Under-20 team that finished third at the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship.{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2008/11/08/SK/32/StoryA.html | title=Davids staan Sauls by | work=Die Burger | date=8 November 2009 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208045121/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2008/11/08/SK/32/StoryA.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }} The Boland Cavaliers had a disappointing season in the 2009 Currie Cup Premier Division and the Boland Rugby Union decided to appoint Chester Williams as their Director of Rugby,{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2009/09/08/SK/20/mbChester.html | title=Chester in Wellington met 'n regruk-mandaat | work=Die Burger | date=8 September 2009 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208053821/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2009/09/08/SK/20/mbChester.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }} effectively marginalising Davids, who had a contract with the union until 2012. Davids left Boland amidst threats of legal action{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2009/09/29/KS/24/spt-deon.html | title=Davids soek 'n miljoen by Boland ná Chester oorvat | work=Son | date=29 September 2009 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208055739/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2009/09/29/KS/24/spt-deon.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }} and took over as head coach of university side {{Rut|UWC}}, as well as joining the youth selection committee of {{Rut|Western Province}}.{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2010/04/22/KS/26/spt-klubspg26-SB.html | title=Oud-Boland-breier gee die WP hand met sy jeugspanne | work=Die Burger | date=22 April 2010 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208061221/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2010/04/22/KS/26/spt-klubspg26-SB.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }}
Davids coached UWC in the first ever Varsity Shield competition, helping them to finish in third spot in the 2011 competition, but left during the competition to join the {{Rut|Golden Lions}}, becoming head coach of their Vodacom Cup side for the 2012 season, as well as coaching the Under-21 side.{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2011/05/24/KS/21/StoryD-001.html | title=UWK staan stewig | work=Die Burger | date=25 April 2011 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208070233/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2011/05/24/KS/21/StoryD-001.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }}
At the end of 2012, Davids returned to the Western Cape to join the George-based {{Rut|SWD Eagles}} as the head coach of their academy, and taking charge of the {{Rut|SWD U21}} side.{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2012/11/03/SK/20/kpSWD.html | title=SWD-Arende soek nuwe breier | work=Die Burger | date=3 November 2012 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208070607/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2012/11/03/SK/20/kpSWD.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }} He remained in that role until 2015, when he also assisted the first team, coached by Bevin Fortuin.{{cite web | url=http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2015/02/05/25/spt-eagles_31_0_356127587.html | title=Davids help slyp die arende | work=Die Burger | date=5 February 2015 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208075625/http://152.111.1.87/argief/berigte/dieburger/2015/02/05/25/spt-eagles_31_0_356127587.html | archive-date=8 December 2015 | url-status=dead }} When Fortuin left to join the {{Rut|Blue Bulls}} at the end of the 2015 season, Davids was appointed as the head coach of the SWD Eagles on a three-year contract.{{cite web | url=http://www.thegremlin.co.za/2015/11/30/deon-davids-is-nuwe-swd-arende-afrigter/ | title=Deon Davids is nuwe SWD Arende afrigter | work=The Gremlin | date=30 November 2015 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans}}{{cite web | url=http://rugby.maroelamedia.co.za/2015/12/03/swd-arende-mik-na-topnege-in-curriebekerreeks/ | title=SWD Arende mik na topnege in Curriebekerreeks | work=Pale Toe! | date=3 December 2015 | access-date=4 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans}} Within a week of his appointment, the South African Rugby Union announced that Davids would coach the Port Elizabeth-based {{Rut|Southern Kings}} Super Rugby franchise in the 2016 Super Rugby season.{{cite press release | url=http://www.sarugby.net/news/24478?view=news&leagueId=2714 | title=SA Rugby unveils Southern Kings management team and operational plan | publisher=South African Rugby Union | date=4 December 2015 | access-date=4 December 2015 | archive-date=8 December 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208121026/http://www.sarugby.net/news/24478?view=news&leagueId=2714 | url-status=dead }} He would coach them before returning to the SWD Eagles once the Super Rugby season was completed.{{cite web | url=http://www.son.co.za/Sport/davids-net-aan-kings-geleen-20151207 | title=Davids net aan Kings geleen | work=Son | date=8 December 2015 | access-date=8 December 2015 | language=Afrikaans}}
References
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davids, Deon}}
Category:South African rugby union coaches
Category:People from Victoria West