False Bay gear up for southern suburbs SLA derby

Jon Harris

Saturday sees Villager RFC host Motorvaps False Bay at Brookside in a day boasting five matches across the spectrum.

The hosts finished the round-robin stages of SLA2024 on top of the table, their highest position in a number of years.

During their slump, South Africa’s second oldest rugby club, celebrating their 149th year since establishment, trolled the depths of despair as they fought to stay alive and indeed keep the floodlights burning in Claremont.

Last year ended in disappointment as they lost to Stellenbosch University in the final of the President’s Cup, the knockout stage of the SLA, which saw the second-placed finishers assume the mantel of SLA2024 Champions.

Coach Andy Coetzee is looking to redress that glitch in the matrix and is buoyed in the knowledge that success is often built over more than one consecutive season. His player depth has been bolstered and after five outings in the Super League A so far they lie second to Durbel, their only loss hitherto in their campaign.

Coetzee has a well-balanced team, with some monsters in the pack delivering quality first phase ball, and power loose play. Their backs are snappy and straight running, although their go-to man amongst the three quarters, Dan Aspelling, appeared to pick up a serious injury in the Brooksiders’s narrow victory over UCT last weekend.

Meanwhile just up the M3, False Bay have been quietly going about their business both on and off the pitch. Coach Ashley Wells has a deep pool of talent available to him now, the execution of play by the Bay has become more accurate with each outing, non the least on defence and running into the gap by the receiver.

As with their opposition, each segment of False Bay’s structure is strong. Their front row is settled, the second rowers delivering quality lineout ball, and the loose forwards combining well. The backline has balance, verve and determination.

The Bay has three wins out of their four matches this campaign. They lost to Helderberg in their competition opener but managed to bag two leave points. Since then, they have registered five-point victories in each of their subsequent fixtures. In the anatomy of a successful season culminating in knockout stage qualification, bonus point accumulation is crucial.

The energy at the Constantia club is vibrant. Their under-20 section is thriving, with their Colts team relishing in the UCT Internal League, through to the top. Saturday is what every young player looks forward to, it’s the essence of the game. Villager under-20 A is a closed team from the UXI Academy, who are one place ahead of the Bay having played an extra fixture.

Yet, after all it is the main fixture which ultimately holds the interest. In their most recent outing, against van der Stel-Evergreens, False Bay held their opponents at bay, managing a five-league point victory in a four-point winning margin, a massive positive hidden in that alone. Wells’ Warriors are flourishing, not only performing in each department but producing a more cohesive display with each fixture. Individuals are standing up and leading from the front, sucking the others along for the ride, only to find them taking the wheel over for a while.

The under-20 fixture kicks off first at 1.25pm, and the main event at 4pm.

Jon Harris is a member of False Bay RFC