Falcons (rugby union)
 | ||
| Full name | Falcons / Valke | |
|---|---|---|
| Union | Falcons Rugby Union | |
| Emblem(s) | Falcon | |
| Founded | 1947 | |
| Region | Eastern Gauteng | |
| Ground(s) | Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park (Capacity: 7,000) | |
| Director of Rugby | Rudy Joubert | |
| Coach(es) | JP Immelman | |
| Captain(s) | Denzil Hill | |
| League(s) | Currie Cup First Division | |
| 2021 | Semi-Finalist 3rd on log | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
 Current season | ||
The Falcons – better known by their Afrikaans name the Valke and now known as the Hino Valke for sponsorship reasons – are a South African rugby union team in Gauteng province that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament.
Their home ground is Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, to which they have returned in 2009.[1][2] The Falcons have operated from Bosman Stadium in Brakpan and Pam Brink Stadium in Springs. They occasionally still host matches at Bosman Stadium. The Falcons draw players from Ekurhuleni and other municipalities to the east and south of Johannesburg.
History[]
The Falcons Rugby Union was founded in 1947 as the Eastern Transvaal Rugby Football Union. After the 1995 World Cup, rugby was declared a professional sport in South Africa, after which the Eastern Transvaal Rugby Football Union merged with the Vaal Triangle Rugby Union to form the Gauteng Falcons Rugby Union. It is one of only fourteen Provincial Unions in the country.
Honours[]
In 2006 the Falcons were the Vodacom Cup champions,[3] the first cup won in the history of the union.
Falcons Professional Rugby[]
Falcons Rugby (Pty) Ltd is the arm responsible for the Falcons Brand and the operation of the Professional Rugby Team, which competes in two high-profile competitions in South African Rugby:
- Currie Cup
- Vodacom Cup
Amateur Union[]
The Community Rugby arm, known historically as the Amateur Union, maintains the structure and development of the amateur Rugby set-up for the region, and includes:
- 18 Clubs (approximately 2,000 players)
- 54 High Schools
- 101 Primary Schools
- 80 registered referees
- and the structured development and transformation of Rugby in the region.
Current squad[]
The following players were included in the Falcons squad for the 2021 Currie Cup First Division:[4]
| Falcons Currie Cup squad | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Loose Forwards
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
|
| (c) Denotes team captain. |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Falcons migrate again". Rugby365.com. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011.
- ^ "We can upset the Sharks". www.iol.co.za. 18 September 2008.
- ^ "Falcons soar over Wildebeest". iafrica.com. 21 May 2006. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ^ "Valke squad". SA Rugby. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
External links[]
- "Official site". Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- "Falcons page on SuperSport.com". Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- "Falcons page on iAfrica.com". Retrieved 5 March 2014.
- South African rugby union teams
- Sport in Gauteng
- Kempton Park, Gauteng
- Rugby clubs established in 1947