A profile of a rugby club

Navigating the waters of the racially divisive and at times violent domestic club rugby leagues, a team from the Cape Town is proving that diversity can triumph. A legacy of exclusion typifies club rugby, with many teams made up almost exclusively of the neighbourhoods from which they come, bringing into play a stark racial line which proves to be explosive on match days. Violence in club rugby is well documented, not so much those clubs trying to play the game for the right reasons while cultivating an ethos that South African rugby is constantly aspiring towards, that of inclusivity.

False Bay Rugby Club in the heart of Constantia in the Southern Suburbs of the Cape Town, is surrounded by affluence but not of the neighbourhood. With a diverse and multi-racial player base, the club competes in the Western Cape Super A league, widely regarded as the best league in the country. With few resources at their disposal, False Bay has come up with creative ways of sustaining itself as well as serving it’s player base. Fostering a culture of inclusion, the club is on the frontlines of transformation in the game, drawing players from all parts of the Cape Flats, from the suburbs and as far away as the Eastern Cape and Zimbabwe. It’s a club where all players feel at home….

Simon Burke spent a week with the team and examined the issues that affect the club, as well as the spirit that endures, and if nothing else saw a club playing the game for the sake of the game…                 

Watch Special Assignment Wednesday SABC 3 AT 21:30