RUGBY League will return to the Southern Suburbs after 52 years on Saturday, December 5, when the Tom van Vollenhoven 2015 Cup final takes place between Gauteng and the SARL (88) Presidents XIII at the Union Rugby Club in Pioneer Park.
The match kicks off at 14:00 and junior curtain raising matches will start at 11:00.
Rugby League was last played in the Southern Suburbs in 1963, the then Southern Suburbs club was captained by the well-known Springbok, Dawie Ackerman, who also captained the first Rugby League Springboks to Australasia in 1963.
The then club also included great names such as Natie Rens, Mannetjies Gericke and Hennie van Zyl who all ran out in the Springbok jersey in the fifties and sixties.
The Union Rugby Club is currently the head quarters of the Gauteng Rugby League with Johan Roodt serving as the league’s president.
For the second year in a row the Union Bulldogs won the Battle of the Bulldogs trophy against the Tembisa Bulldogs. This event is an annual event on the South African Rugby League calendar and will be played again in September 2016 when the new Rugby League season kicks off.
The 2015 season earmarks the Tom van Vollenhoven 80 year celebrations. Since 2009 Tom van Vollenhoven has been the honorary president life of South African Rugby League and he has enjoyed honorary president membership since 1997.
The Tom van Vollenhoven cup is the highest award for any of the domestic Rugby League competitions in South Africa and is named after the greatest Rugby League player South Africa has ever produced. At the turn of the century he was elected as one of the 10 Rugby League icons since the game started in 1895.
The Tom van Vollenhoven Cup was introduced on October 8, 2005.
Previously it was contested between regional provinces where Rugby League was played and in 2015 it changed to a competition between the political provinces.
Tom van Vollenhoven will be there in person to hand over the coveted trophy to the winning team.
Entrance is R10 per adult, R5 per learner and R10 per car for inside parking.
Members of the 1962/63 Rugby League era qualify for honorary membership with the South African Rugby League (established in 1988) and may contact Dave van Reenen to receive a special blazer pocket badge.
All senior, junior players, referees and administrators who are interested in joining Rugby League may contact Roodt on 083 390 9421 or Van Reenen on 084 831 9778.
