Currie Cup First Division Player of the year nominee for 2024, Jayden Bantom, formerly of the Eastern Province Elephants, says he is excited about showing his class as one of the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers’ latest recruits.
The Jansenville-born fullback joined the Cavas after playing his final game for the Elephants in the semi-finals of this year’s Carling Currie Cup First Division. Bantom lit up the 2024 version of the First Division but missed out on the individual accolade as the top gong went to his new teammate, Ashlon Davids.
However, Bantom, who got his shot at provincial rugby with the Eastern Province after some stellar performances for local club side Jansenville Kudus, is not fazed by missing out on personal accolades.
For this versatile backline player, who can also be used out wide on the wing and in a playmaker role, the dream has always been to make a step up to a higher level of the game.
With the Sanlam Boland Cavaliers, Bantom now has that opportunity.
“To be selected for the big opportunity created by the Boland Rugby Union to prove my talent at the highest level is a major step for me.
“For three years, I played against them as an opponent — they always played good rugby and were always a challenge for me. But now, I’m part of a strong team, with good spirit, a loving atmosphere, and hard-working players.
“I’m looking forward to being part of this group. So far, I’m enjoying myself and learning new things. There’s a great vibe among the players. The level of competition is incredible, I’m loving it. Because I truly believe that through competition, a player can only improve. I’m excited to play this beautiful sport alongside them.”
Growing up in the small Eastern Cape town of Jansenville, Bantom excelled at the school level for Jansenville Primary and High School, representing Eastern Province’s Karoo District U13 team and was selected to the Eastern Province U18 team that participated in the Craven Week competition at Paarl Gymnasium in 2019.
His big break at provincial rugby would, however, come at the age of 22 when former Elephants coach Dumisani Mani selected him for the 2022 Currie Cup First Division season. He went on to represent his home union with distinction and won the Eastern Province Player of the Year award on back-to-back occasions.
Bantom also helped the Elephants reach the 2024 First Division final, where they lost out by the narrowest of margins against his new team, Boland. This was after a winner could not be decided after normal time and extra time, as the scores ended level at 27-27, as Boland were crowned champions based on scoring more tries (5 to 4) during the match.
In his final season with Eastern Province this year, Bantom also had the privilege of being coached by former Springbok head coach Allister Coetzee.
And of what he learned from Coetzee, who won the 2007 Rugby World Cup with the Springboks as an assistant coach, Bantom says: “This year, I was coached by a great Springbok fullback, Alister Coetzee, who sees the game very differently. Coach AC’s expectations of me as a fullback were high, but over time, I learned to read the game much better and tick all the boxes he expected of me. I played some really good rugby under Coach AC’s guidance.”
Bantom believes that the opportunity to make his debut for the Cavas will happen soon.
“I have a quote that always says: ‘You can’t hold down or suppress someone who knows what it takes to rise from nothing and become successful.’”