False Bay Rugby Football Club

It's mid-February and the False Bay Under 20 section has been hard at work. Indeed Mondays at False Bay RFC are a sight to behold as players numbering around 100 from all sections of the club are put through their paces. New Senior coaches and the return of Springbok Keith Andrews as club scrum guru augments the energy present on practice days.

Pre-season training is in full swing at False Bay RFC and while focus and attention tends to fall on the Senior Squad, the Under 20 section is confidently striding towards what promises to be a successful season.

With Varsity Cup and its new appendages, ie VC U20 and Koshuis VC, sapping club rugby of much talent, clubs have their work cut out to attract players and compete in a tough league.

This year the Bay Under 20 section has built on the very solid season they delivered last year. Director of Rugby, Kallie Pretorius has worked tirelessly at attracting a bunch of talented young players. Practices, which take place on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6pm, are filled with energy and brimming with a zesty vibe and excitement for the oncoming season. It is encouraging to see a wide cross section of schools represented. Adapting to life after school, with its diversity of characters and cultures, is a challenge every young school leaver has to face and an environment such as what we have at the Bay certainly helps in this transition.

“We want to keep building on the work we did last year”, says coach Brendon Fogarty. “Yes, this in our books equates to winning more games, but last year we counted ourselves at times unlucky not to have bagged a few more wins”.

The clichéd Brains Trust at the False Bay Under 20 section brims with experience, talent and boasts some of the more accomplished coaches around. Pretorius is a well known figure in school and Under 20 rugby, having coached at Wynberg Boys High School and guided many an Under 20 team through a few seasons at Villager and False Bay. He is wily, focused and protective of his charges, ideal for an introduction to Club Rugby.

Silver-haired Fogarty is a well known figure in school and club rugby. He is a Master at Bishops and has an innate ability to spot and develop talent. He has coached the Bay First XV for a number of years, as well as at UCT and is recognized for his rugby intelligence and passion.

Backline coach, Frans Boshoff has spent the last three years as assistant coach of the Club’s First XV, and is a veteran of over a hundred First Division matches. He is talented, knowledgeable and has a personality which will endear him to the players, while bring the best out of them.

Former First XV scrumhalf, Mo Barendse has also joined the coaching panel. Mo’s career as a player for False Bay and Hamiltons was characterised by grit, determination and a flair for rugby.

The management team of Hugo Botha, Kelly Burger and Caylin Shepherd are a strong support for the coaches, efficient and passionate about the game and their responsibilities.

“We aim to develop our players and with such a strong coaching team and managers, we are well-positioned to do so”, says Fogarty.

Here are a few dates on the Under 20 calendar to diarise:

27 & 29 February                      TRIALS

14 March                                     FRIENDLY AGAINST BISHOPS

2 April                                           TRAINING SESSION WITH TOM DAWSON-SQUIBB OF HEADSTART  (VISIT http://headstartsport.co.za/about-us/)

17 March                                     FRIENDLY MATCH vs BRACKENFELL

24 March                                     FRIENDLY MATCH vs HELDERBERG

31 March                                     FRIENDLY MATCH vs GOODWOOD

 

14 April                                         LEAGUE STARTS