He previously played for the Eastern Province Elephants in the Currie Cup and the Rugby Challenge.
[1] Gouws was born in Richards Bay, but grew up in Mpumalanga, where he attended Hoër Tegniese Skool Middelburg.
He made his first class debut in the 2016 Currie Cup qualification series, coming on as a replacement in the Sharks XV's 32–37 defeat to the Border Bulldogs in East London.
[2] He made a further five starts and two appearances as a replacement for the Sharks XV in the 2017 Rugby Challenge competition.
[5] After a further three appearances as a replacement, he made his first start in their match against the Cheetahs in Port Elizabeth,[6] eventually playing in eleven matches for a Southern Kings side that finished bottom of Conference B with just a single victory all season.