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'I think I made the right choice': How Daniel Kasende was torn between two sports
By Simon Thomas
Daniel Kasende is a man who has a back story with a difference and a real awareness of the people who have played a key part in his rugby journey.
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The Ospreys winger was born in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He then moved to South Africa at a young age, which ultimately led to life as a professional rugby player, following a career-defining sporting decision.
Now he has embarked on a new adventure in Wales and is loving his time with the in-form Ospreys who entertain league leaders Leinster Rugby in Swansea on Friday night as part of BKT URC Origin Round.
Telling his tale, the 29-year-old says: “My family is originally from the DRC. Rugby isn’t big there at all. It hasn’t really kick-started in the country.
“We moved to South Africa when I was four years old. That was very much my rugby breeding ground.
“I started playing when I was 14, which is actually pretty late over there. You usually start in primary school with barefoot rugby.
“I grew up in Johannesburg and went to Queen’s High School, which isn’t a big rugby school. There are only two of us that have gone on to professional rugby.”
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Kasende might well have missed out on a pro rugby career himself had he taken a different sporting route as a teenager.
“I did sprinting for my last three years at high school and, at the end of my time there, I had two offers,” he explains.
“One was a scholarship to go to a university for athletics and the other was to go to a different university for a rugby scholarship. I chose rugby and the rest is history. I think I made the right choice!”
So it was that he enrolled at the University of the Witwatersrand in Jo’burg to study geography.
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“That’s where my rugby really kicked off,” he says.
“Linking up with a couple of coaches there really set me up to pursue the sport professionally. I developed quite fast while I was there. That was really the turning point for my rugby.”
In terms of people who particularly aided his progress, he says: “One coach who always stands out for me is Joey Mangalo, who is with the Sharks at the moment.
“He started off with me when I was at high school. I got to play under him for a few Lions developmental teams.
“Then, when I got to Varsity, he was our defence coach and he was on top of it the whole time. He really moulded and motivated me to keep going. I owe a lot to him.”
Starting out in pro rugby with the Griquas in Kimberley, Kasende then moved to the Bloemfontein-based Cheetahs, helping them win the Currie Cup in 2023.
Looking back on his career to date, a couple of memories stand out.
“My first Varsity Cup game for Wits was really big for me. It was my opportunity to show myself to South Africa.
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Leinster
10
10
0
0
48
2
Glasgow
10
7
3
0
37
3
Bulls
9
7
2
0
35
4
Sharks
9
6
3
0
29
5
Cardiff Rugby
10
5
4
1
29
6
Scarlets
10
5
4
1
27
7
Munster
10
5
5
0
26
8
Edinburgh
10
4
6
0
24
9
Ulster
10
4
6
0
23
10
Stormers
10
4
6
0
23
11
Benetton
10
4
5
1
23
12
Ospreys
10
4
5
1
22
13
Lions
8
4
4
0
19
14
Connacht
10
3
7
0
19
15
Zebre
10
3
7
0
16
16
Dragons RFC
10
1
9
0
8
“We ended up winning the game, I got man of the match and handing over the award to me was Siya Kolisi, so that’s something you don’t forget.
“Then, when we won the Currie Cup at the Cheetahs, in the semi-final away to the Bulls my parents watched me play professionally for the first time. That’s just a really good memory for me because it was a long time coming.”
When it comes to a favourite team-mate from his time in South Africa, he picks out scrum-half Raegan Oranje.
“He went from being the enemy playing for an opposing University to sort of having the same journey as me, following me in moving to the Griquas and the Cheetahs. We became very close. He is like a brother to me.”
Kasende, who can also play at full-back, first joined the Ospreys on loan for a spell last season and then signed a permanent deal in the summer. He has become an important member of the squad, making nine appearances so far this term, helping them go unbeaten for the last five games.
“The guys have really welcomed me. They are a good bunch of lads and made it easy for me to get settled,” he says.
“My wife is over with me and we are really enjoying life in Swansea. Welsh people are really polite and very friendly. They always greet you when you walk past. They are really good people.”
As for life on the field with the Ospreys, he says: “We are into a really good flow with good wins behind us. The fruits of our labours are starting to show.
“We were just waiting for that pivotal turning point and now we have kicked into gear. The results show for themselves.”
So can they inflict a first defeat of the season on Leinster?
“Yes, I think we can do it,” replies Kasende.
“We have to go in with all the confidence we have and a belief to win the game.”
Finally, in terms of how important it is to remember your origins, he says: “I think it’s really massive.
“It pours into your why as a rugby player, but even more so as a man. Everyone needs to have some sort of drive that is outside of himself and his ego.
“When you think about your origin, the people who set the foundations, if my parents hadn’t left the Congo to go to South Africa, I wouldn’t be sitting in Swansea having this conversation. It gave me a platform to get a better opportunity.
“Those are the kind of thoughts that go through my mind when I look back and think how far I have come.”
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