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.

Falcons
Full nameFalcons / Valke
UnionFalcons Rugby Union
Emblem(s)Falcon
Founded1947
RegionEastern Gauteng
Ground(s)Barnard Stadium, Kempton Park (Capacity: 7,000)
CEOEttienne de Lange
PresidentJan Wiegand
Coach(es)JP Immelman
Captain(s)Dwayne Pienaar
League(s)Currie Cup First Division
2022Finals: DNQ
5th on log
Team kit
Official website
www.valke.co.za
Current season

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

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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

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In 2006 the Falcons were the Vodacom Cup champions,[3] the first cup won in the history of the union.

Falcons Professional Rugby

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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:

Amateur Union

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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

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The following players were included in the Falcons squad for the 2024 SA Cup First Division:[5]

Falcons SA Cup squad

Props

  •   Njabulo Gumede
  •   Ethan Jeffery
  •   Thabo Ntunja
  •   Hugo Pienaar
  •   Bulelani Sali
  •   Bheki Shongwe

Hookers

Locks

  •   Reuben du Plooy
  •   Eddie Evans
  •   Stairs Mhlongo
  •   Jordan van Dyk
  •   Boela Venter
  •   Andrew Volschenk

Loose forwards

Scrum-halves

  •   Chris Booysen
  •   Luciano Elias
  •   Johan Pretorius

Fly-halves

  •   Keagan Fortune
  •   Ruben Liebenberg
  •   Iusanda Xakwana

Centres

  •   Jimmy Mpailane
  •   Franco Pienaar
  •   Lundi Ralarala
  •   Sherwin Slater

Wingers


Fullbacks

  •   Joshua Vermeulen
(c) Denotes team captain.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Falcons migrate again". Rugby365.com. 14 September 2008. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011.
  2. ^ "We can upset the Sharks". www.iol.co.za. 18 September 2008.
  3. ^ "Falcons soar over Wildebeest". iafrica.com. 21 May 2006. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  4. ^ Adams, Mariette (17 June 2023). "Good Fortune guides Valke to Mzansi glory". The South African. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Valke squad". SA Rugby. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
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