Villager crowned SLA 2025 champions

Mark Ward

Villager lifted the Western Province Super League A title on a historic day at City Park after beating rivals Hamilton in a pulsating final. For the Brookside faithful, it marked a return to the club’s glory days, the first major triumph since their celebrated successes in 1997, 2000, and 2014.

Led by head coach Andy Coetzee, Villagers’ 2025 campaign was nothing short of remarkable, as they registered victories over their fiercest rivals, including Maties, Ikeys, and beat Hamilton, the Green Point powerhouse, not once, but three times, including Saturday's final.

Coetzee, backed by an experienced coaching team that included Anton Moolman, has restored the Brookside outfit to the summit of Western Province rugby. Attention now shifts to the national stage with the 2025 edition of the Gold Cup.

Among the stalwarts who had carried the club through lean years was current club president, Piet Geldenhuys, who was among the first to embrace chairman Anton Coosner. For the 71-year-old, who first pulled on the Villager jersey in 1971, the triumph stirred deep memories.

“This is one of the greatest moments in the club’s history. I started here more than five decades ago, playing alongside legends like Morné du Plessis, and even represented Western Province as a loose forward. Back then, club rugby was the pinnacle, and provincial players were selected from these ranks. Today, this moment reminds us of that pride,” Geldenhuys said, his voice heavy with emotion.

Coosner, equally jubilant, praised the collective effort. “What a moment for us. Our coaching staff was superb, but our players were even greater. Now it’s time to celebrate this success together,” he said.

Founded officially in 1876, though its first recorded match dates back to 1875, Villager is one of the oldest rugby clubs in South Africa. Now, with silverware back in the cabinet, the Villagers have proven once again that their legacy is not just a story of the past, but a living force shaping South African rugby today, at least for now. Glory days are back at Brookside.