NewcastleFalcons vs Bath Rugby - Programme - 05/11/2022

SEBASTIAN DE CHAVES
“I was
actually
really
close to
signing
for
Cornish
Pirates.”
One of the many beauties of professional rugby is the opportunities
it offers for travel, as Newcastle Falcons lock Sebastian de Chaves
will testify.
Playing on three continents so far and making the most of his
second spell at Newcastle Falcons, the man who turned 32 last
weekend has enjoyed every step of the way.
“I was born and raised in Johannesburg in South Africa, where I
lived up until the age of 22,” says De Chaves, who has made 20
appearances for the Falcons, five of them this season.
“In South Africa you grow up surrounded by rugby, although I was
the only one in my family who really played. Me, my brother and
my sister played pretty much every sport, but it was only at the
age of 16 or 17 when I started to really focus on my rugby.
“I played for my school team, which was just a small school, and
I also played for Roodepoort Rugby Club. Eventually I got into
the Lions’ system, which is our local professional province in
Johannesburg, and I played Under-19s and 21s for them before
stepping up to the Vodacom Cup and Currie Cup.”
Heading to Europe in his early 20s, De Chaves explains: “I was
actually really close to signing for Cornish Pirates because my
mum is British and I have a UK passport, but then in typical French
style from out of nowhere my agent had a call from Mont de
Marsan who offered me a contract to go there. I was basically put
on the spot and told they needed an answer within 24 hours, so I
just took the plunge of spending a season in the Top 14.
“It was an amazing experience over there, and as you can imagine
a big change on and off the field. I went from having lived all my
life in Joburg to living in a small town in southern France as a
21-year-old who didn’t speak the language and didn’t really know
the way of the world. It was a culture shock and the first couple
of months were really tough, but I got into it and didn’t really want
to leave.
“From there I went to Leicester Tigers, and again really enjoyed it.
They’ve got a great history and have enjoyed a lot of success as
a club, and it was really taking rugby back to how it used to be. I
enjoyed being part of that hard-nosed set-up and I was lucky as
a second row to be playing with the likes of Louis Deacon, Geoff
Parling and Ed Slater. I learned so much from that time, and from
there I was on to London Irish for three seasons.
“They were a great group of lads and I enjoyed my first spell there,
even though it was challenging on the pitch with being around the
Premiership relegation stuff and getting promoted back up from
the Championship.
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