False Bay RFC women and men triumph in friendly matches

The final round of friendly matches for most rugby clubs around the peninsula took place over this past weekend and for the folks at Motorvaps False Bay, things look promising.

On Friday night, the women’s team travelled to Milnerton while the men hosted Durbell the next day at Constantia.

The False Bay women’s section started from scratch four years ago and has become an integral part of the club, attracting more loyal supporters to the Philip Herbstein Fields. The energy present is infectious as practice nights have a regular band of supporters framing the pitch, with occasional visits from rugby legend and neighbour Gert Smal, sharing his passion for the game and some sage advice.

The Bay women are made up of residents from as near as Plumstead and as far as Khayelitsha, each with a story to tell about their roots in the game and what they gain from participating in this wonderful sport. One can only imagine the limitations in preparing for a game to most, transport alone to and from some areas is expensive and time-consuming. Kit, as many parents would attest to, costs an arm and a leg, an investment not accessible to many.

Multiple sponsors contribute to the costs of the squad. Award-winning winemaker Bruce Jack is one such champion of the False Bay women's section. This award-winning winemaker is an avid follower of the Bay women, who continue to deliver rewards on his contributions.

Up against a strong Uni-Mil women's team on Friday night, Bruce Jack’s Jills constructed a victory off a platform of powerful defence and hard running. After a week of training preparing for the clash, their intensity was high, the contact zones brutal and the entertainment level high. Yes, they left some tries on the pitch, to be expected for a first foray, but coach Nafeez “Feez” Francis will be a contented man.

The following day, a large crowd of club rugby supporters descended upon the Bay’s field to lap up some or all the seven matches on offer.

Durbell and Motorvaps False Bay have shadowed each other in the Super League A for the better part of 15 years now, matching each other in success, performance and club ethos. A glance at the final tables in each of these years shows just how close the rivalry has been, friendly outside of the field of contest, but at times brutal within it.

Motorvaps False Bay have been showing tremendous improvement with each performance and this final opportunity for coach Ashley Wells was the test that faced every coach across the leagues in the Union. In the build-up, the Bay Third XV delivered another victory and Adam van Willingh’s defending league champions continue to improve on the pitch. True for all second fifteens, these teams are feeders for the top team, and their match team sheet normally shows vast changes from week to week. With several of the 2024 champion team absent, Van Willingh’s team is gaining confidence in big strides, the seven-point loss to the Durbell second stringers, traditionally league-title challenges, is testimony to their readiness for False Bay’s league opener in little under a fortnight.

Bay open their SLA 2025 campaign with a bye and then travel to Strand to face 2024 Gold Cup semi-finalists Helderberg, who have been showing great form in the pre-season programme. This match will mark the 100th cap for club stalwart, tackle-tough, and gentleman of the game, Lukhanyo Nomzanga.

Like across the Cape Peninsula, be it in Stellenbosch with Van der Stel aiming high, through the southern suburbs with each of Hamiltons, Villager and the Motorvaps False Bay showing great early form; in Strand where Helderberg a looking ominous, Tygerberg, Uni-Mil all demonstrate the quality that makes Western Province’s SLA the top club rugby league in the country.