False Bay shows true steel in 2025
False Bay veteran Luke Jacobs, pictured here in his side’s crunch match against SK Walmers towards the end of the season, played his fiftieth match for the first team and received the Jennings Cup for dedication and commitment at the club’s annual awards presentation.
Image: Ebrahim "Billy" Christian
Jon Harris
Competing at the highest level of Western Province club rugby requires consistency and resilience, and maintaining peak performance week in and week out is a challenge for any squad — especially one in Super League A.
A respectable third-place finish and a trophy or two helped bear testimony Motorvaps False Bay’s resilience in the 2025 season, which can be described as a success, built on strong performances across the three competitions contested during the nine-month club rugby calendar.
The year began with an early opportunity to lay down a marker, as the club used the Cape Town Tens to test depth, build cohesion, and set the tone for what would become a highly competitive campaign.
False Bay’s fast guns gather for a group photo following a 10-5 win against Primrose in the final of last month’s Score Club Rugby Sevens at City Park..
Image: Mark Ward
The Tens is often dismissed by clubs focused on league ambitions, with its timing and free-flowing nature carrying injury risks ahead of the Super League campaign. Yet it also serves as a valuable platform to test depth, commitment, and identity. For False Bay, it proved exactly that.
The February tournament delivered the club’s first silverware of the year — fittingly unconventional in the form of a guitar. Under Director of Rugby, Shaune Jordaan and coach Ryan van Niekerk, a talented group of young players was moulded into a cohesive unit that went on to lift the title.
That success came just weeks before pre-season friendlies launched False Bay’s Super League A campaign. Head coach Ashley Wells and his coaching staff had been preparing since November, laying the physical foundations for the season ahead.
False Bay’s Joshua Florence scores a try during his side’s semi-final against Tygerberg, last month’s Score Club Rugby Sevens at City Park.
Image: Mark Ward
A serious title challenge initially appeared unlikely, but the Bay adapted quickly, blending an influx of new players into the club’s trademark running game. A gritty away victory over perennial rivals DurBell marked a turning point. Mocked for their lack of size during the warm-up, the Bay responded with pace and precision, running a powerful Durbanville pack off their feet.
“We had 16 new players this year alone, taking the two-season tally of debutants to 32. To undergo that level of transition and remain competitive speaks volumes about the group’s character,” said Wells.
False Bay’s fast, attacking style troubled opponents throughout the season and was embraced by both players and supporters. It remains a brand that promises to add further quality and excitement to Super League A in 2026.
In a season full of tough, hard-fought matches, none was tighter than False Bay’s President’s Cup quarter-final against SK Walmers, where the Bo-Kaap side snatched victory in the final minute.
Image: Ebrahim "Billy" Christian
The improvement was clear. After finishing seventh in 2024 — despite silverware success for the Second XV — the flagship side climbed to third on the Super League A table in 2025.
False Bay’s league campaign ended in the President’s Cup quarter-final, where they were edged out by SK Walmer, at Constantia, after a gripping 99-minute contest, settled by a decisive extra-time penalty.
Attention then shifted to the Score WP Club Rugby Sevens tournament. Coach Dylon Frylinck drew from a deep talent pool across the club, preparing the squad for the pace, space, and demands of the Sevens game.
A return to False Bay’s traditional flair proved decisive. Played over three weekends, the tournament saw the Bay reach the final against newly promoted Primrose, where they again delivered late drama, snatching victory at the death to round off a memorable 2025 season.
- Jon Harris is a member of False Bay RFC
False Bay’s Lindo Ncusane, with the ball in hand and Elio Dawson in support, braces himself for impact during his side’s WPRFU Super League A clash against Helderberg in March.
Image: Gavin Withers Photography