About Us
Born on the beaches of Muizenberg, False Bay RFC has been established since 1929. Rugby in those years in South Africa was still relatively new. The interest generated by Paul Roos's Springbok tour to England had seen rugby groups pop up all over and by the late twenties Muizenberg and Kalk Bay were competing against each other on the beach. The ‘field‘ was between the end of the old promenade and the mouth of the outlet of Sandvlei and the pitch was demarcated by the hordes of spectators. Goalposts were absent and kick-off times were determined by the tides!
Rugby pitches, taken for granted in this modern age, were in dire shortage back then and the various groups played at an assortment of venues. Transport was also a consideration and the positioning of these facilities had to be close to the trains.
Inevitably the Muizenberg and Kalk Bay sides combined and the inaugural meeting of False Bay RFC was held on 17 March 1929 at the Belgrave Hotel of Mr Emdin. Many of those present were from the rugby playing schools of the Peninsula. The club captain, Mr Bill Andrews, headmaster of the local school, was responsible for the club colours and badge. The WPRFU allocated their Plumstead fields to the club in 1932, where, apart from a brief move to Wynberg FC because of work being done to the fields, the club stayed - until moving to their current position in the Constantia Sports Complex in 1968.
The highlight of False Bay's on-field history was winning the Grand Challenge in 1972. Club rugby was enormous up until the launch of television, and crowds upwards of 15000 attended weekly club days at Newlands, where at least five games took place. Rugby icon, Basil Bey, himself an ex-player at the Bay, coached False Bay to the Championship and Butch Watson-Smith was captain of that team.
During this era many well-known names donned the Bay shirts at some stage of their careers, including Springboks Doug Hopwood, Lionel Wilson and Derek van den Berg. Up until the late eighties, False Bay were an established Grand Challenge club and their next peak period was in the mid-nineties with a successful run under future Springbok coach, Nick Mallet. During this time Springboks Neil Hugo, FC Smit and Dale Santon were integral to the team. We also enjoyed the company of World famous French players Fabien Galthie and Laurent Cabannes, who added colour, with the latter returning for a second stint at the club. To this day, both are extremely fond of their connection with the club.
Other well known members, players and office bearers include: Russell Mulholland, Springbok Media Liaison Officer at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, while Butch Watson-Smith was Sprinbok Business Manager for a number of years. Current Springbok Assistant Coaches Gary Gold & Dick Muir and Andy Marinos, current General Manager of SA Rugby, also played at the club.
Presidents have included Judge Phillip Herbstein (member of the Bar and after whom the Constantia fields are named); and currently Louis de Waal (an esteemed engineer in the Western Cape and, amongst many positions, head of the Table Mountain Cableway, formerly of HHO Africa and now of the Bicycle Empowerment Network, an NGO which redistributes bicycles from European donors to the needy). Louis brought Sevens Rugby to South Africa from Scotland and inaugurated the False Bay Sevens inter-club tournament, in 1965. This was taken over by WP Rugby in the nineties and lost its identity. In this year 2009, the club’s 80th Anniversary - it is re-instating the tournament, due to take place from 1 -3 October.
The unique False Bay spirit encompasses a blend of on-the-field performance and an environment where all can feel comfortable and at home and where sustaining friendships are built.
False Bay Rugby has always striven to be a part of the broader community, notably through our Junior Academy, where we encourage youngsters from non-playing schools in the area to play and teach them skills and provide opportunities for competition. Presently False Bay under 11 and under 13 sides compete in the schools leagues of WP Rugby and an enthusiastic mini-rugby section thrives on a Wednesday afternoon. Through partnerships the facilities are abuzz with school holiday clinics and coaching activity.
False Bay has risen to the challenges of the modern day amateur rugby club, which are far greater and of a totally different nature to when it won the Grand Challenge in 1972. In those days participation in team sport was the norm, good clubs had ten competitive teams and identification with a rugby club was important part of life.
Nowadays, club membership is under constant threat. Other sports and activities compete for the attention of our youth and the sport as a whole has suffered losses in player numbers. There are more reasons given not to play than to play the game. Yet it is still a tremendous tool in development of character in young men. It teaches the participant so many values, amongst them camaraderie and commitment.
Today many top-flight clubs barely field three competitive senior teams and one under 20 side. At False Bay 5 Senior Teams and 2 under-20s as well as a Vets team participate in WP leagues. The club is healthy in numbers and in spirit. It is currently enjoying a resurgence on the field through top quality coaching, planning and preparation and seeks promotion to the top ten Super League A in 2010. More than that it seeks to stay at that level and not again be relegated to the lower leagues. With the advent of professionalism, club rugby was positioned as an amateur sport under Western Province rugby. But this has not proven to be the case and the modern day player (and coach) expects to be rewarded for his efforts. From the clubs perspective we are happy to create opportunity for players to develop their skills and broaden their horizons.
The resulting drain on the resources of False Bay is enormous and the club's efforts to secure sponsorship have been restricted by the unfair perception that it is a wealthy club, by virtue of its geographical location. One visit to the club on match day will shatter any of these misconceptions and indeed the visitor will witness a cross-section of society, encompassing our rainbow nation, harmoniously participating in a national sport known to build character, loyalty and friendship.
At a strategic planning review in November 2004 the club set it goals firmly on being:
- a top rugby club
- relevant to and within its community and
- sustainable in its endeavours
In this its 80th year those objectives are within reach.
They form the foundation of our initiatives and lend focus to our endeavours.
The club looks forward to another 80 years of positive involvement in its community.
