Western Province Rugby - The Golden Years (1982 - 1986)

Western Province dominated local South African rugby during the early 1980's. To this day, they are the only side to have played and won five consecutive Currie Cup finals.
That WP team was full of great players like Carel du Plessis, Michael du Plessis, Divan Serfontein, Calla Scholtz, Schalk Burger Snr and Niel Burger.
Here are some highlights of the five Currie Cup finals they won between 1982 and 1986.
Footage courtesy of the SABC.
Enjoy and thanks for watching!

[@jabulahair1343]

That was the most incredible WP team and provincial team ever in SA Rugby. I was privileged to watch them play.

[@deklerkverwoerd7721]

amazind footage, thank you for posting

[@markwilliams4201]

This was Western Province at its best.We were unstoppable.Always and forever WP.

[@MgCtK1]

Wow just came across this now, brings back so many good memories of being a young kid at time and watching this amazing rugby. Pure rugby... no yellow cards, red cards or TMO's ( what a pleasure :-) )- you just got on with it and sorted things out on the field anyway you wanted lol. Almost 40 years on, I still remember all these players crystal clear, sadly lots are no longer with us and have had health problems, but their memories and legacy in these grainy videos will live on forever as golden! The skill levels, move construction and power here are equivalent to anything we have seen today, you can see this already in the '82 final.....Du Plessis brothers had it all - quite unbelievable their performance here , Burger power, midfield general Villet backed by a superb pack ( Becker and co. ) and probably the best scrummie at the time in Div.

[@tresamigas8897]

Gr8 era in WP rugby..the likes of Carel Michael and Willie du Plessis Rob Louw Schalk Burger Freddie Ferreira Faffa Knoetze Clark Ellis Niel Burger Calla Scholtz but to name a few was electrifying to watch in action. Ahhh those were the days😎😎

[@Activitar]

don't forget Divan Serfontein, Jan Boland Coetzee, Hempies du Toit, Henning van Aswegen, Schalk Burger snr, Hennie Bekker

[@markj702]

That first game had some subtly brutal moments in it: Michael Du Plessis scoring a try and then Mortal Kombat-ing the guy with his knee. Moaner van Heerden leading with a vicious elbow to the face to make sure his try got over the line. The TMO today would have been busy the whole game, and the sin bin bench might have had 10+ guys on it at any time! :D Such was the needle between Province and Northerns

[@jjlombard3806]

Niel Burger.What a pity this man never had the chance to play more Tests. Showed this vid to the Kiwis here on Base in Iraq They all agreed "this man was the first "Jona Lomu". Together with Carel absolutely the best wings SA ever had. great vid

[@RealRugby]

Niel Burger was an awesome player and very unlucky not to play for the Boks. We have a full tribute on Niel, go and check out our other videos!

[@bellluga7918]

Great player, but I’m going to have to go with my two favourites Ray Mordt and Carel DP

[@TheNeutralViewFromSwedenAKAHer]

Should have released Mandela 1980.

[@anfieldreds5027]

@@TheNeutralViewFromSwedenAKAHer Are you the neutral from the roar

[@TheNeutralViewFromSwedenAKAHer]

@@anfieldreds5027 Yes

[@cliftonboyz1959]

The stars had come back from the 1981 tour and together with some rookies formed a dynasty.

[@bradparker6156]

Carel du Plessis, Michael du Plessis, Neil Burger, John Villet, Wilfred Cupido, Faffa Knoetse, Calla Scholtz, Goggie van Heerden, Divan Serfontein, Rob Louw, Nick Mallet, Gert Smal, Hennie Bekker, Schalk Burger (snr), Hempies du Toit, Theuns Stoffberg, Andre Maakgraaf, Attie Strauss, to name only some WP and SA legends of the game. Many other great players before and after, but this ’82 -’86 era was when I started taking interest in the game, and these ‘Province teams showed how to play the running game. The Free State has always stood for running rugby, but in this era ‘Province perfected it. I remember WP destroying a visiting English team, and the English captain’s post-match words still ring in my head:”..they’re an excellent team… Their backs can play like forwards, and the forwards can play like backs..” Total rugby essentially, the route world rugby has been pursuing ever since, to combat/follow the All-Blacks who have lived by this philosophy for as long as I can remember. Sadly SA rugby moved away from this, and my belief is that one very special player aka Naas Botha (as WP supporters, we loved to hate the guy), showed how to defeat even the most skillful teams - brutal forward pack together with a good half-back kicking game. This is how Northern Transvaal (Bulls) broke the WP run, going on their own and remoulded ideas on how the game would be played country-wide. The problem is that ever since, rugby fans, especially those in the North still await the second coming of Naas..

[@20165776YEAR]

when Carl and Niel are on the wings they HAD ro run the ball

[@breathe751]

Not a WP fan myself, but this was one of the best sides in SA history that I have seen in my life time. The Bulls of 1970-81, 1987-1991 and 2002-2010, I also rate as exceptional, although the 87-91 bunch stumbled in 2 finals - 1989 and 1990. But this Province side had a very very good pack of forwards and the du Plessis brothers reigning SA rugby. The arrival of Theuns Stofberg in 1982 introduced a new approach to WP rugby, who traditionally relied heavily on their backs to produce peak performances. They always had a depth of extraordinary good centres in Michael du Plessis, John Villet, Goggie van Heerden, Christian Stewart, Faffa Knoetze and the likes. Maties was a rich source of depth in those years. Niel Burger was a deveastating winger and Carel du Plessis my no.1 King of the wings. In those 5 years they suffered defeats to Northerns 3 times, once to Free State and Transvaal, and had a bump against South eastern Transvaal in the Lion Cup - other than that - they were seasoned champions, and the wheel started to turn when the seniors were retiring from 1987.

[@markj702]

Also notable in a couple of shots of the WP v TVL final was John Robbie the 702 radio personality in his younger days at scrum half for Transvaal...!

[@dermotosullivan3065]

Yes, ex Ireland international.

[@cliftonboyz1959]

A large number of province players had toured NZ in 1981

[@cyjan85]

was this the best team in history of Currie Cup?

[@ferdinandvanzyl1500]

Nostalgia

[@pjneethling26]

14:40 WOW!

[@markj702]

Not to do with Province, but rather Transvaal and in a few shots of that final game in the video, Hempas Rademeyer, no. 14 for TVL: I was playing school rugby in Johannesburg in the mid 80's and was a HUGE fan of him and Liaan Kirkham (11 for TVL). Out steps the ref for our little school game, and it's only Hempas Rademeyer. I think I played terribly that day, simply because I was so star struck! :D (BTW, he was a very fair but straight from the rulebook kind of ref)

[@user-hk8ec7vr8v]

There were Far Better players of colour than Hempas Rademeyer

[@nicolaasjonker1937]

Backline with a plan and executed ruthlessly.No kick and hope for a mistake. Du Plessis's just in a different league. We played ALL BLACK rugby in the '80s where did they go wrong. Talent wise we can match this team but bad management is F***ING UP PROVINCE RUGBY

[@alfredzeegers5932]

Faffa Knoetze d beste senter wat ek sien rugby gespeel het

[@deklerkverwoerd7721]

regtig??

[@fanievisagie3325]

Rugby

[@Hannes667]

Lekker Weee Peee!

[@bunnychowmuncher]

Goggie Van Heerden getting jumped by his own drunken supporters at 22:40 is hilarious. The oke looked bullalad when he got up LOL.

[@nict6240]

Yes, he probably immediately regretted diving there instead of just putting it down and getting the hell out of there.

[@Desi365]

So the western province and the stormers are the same thing right ?

[@deklerkverwoerd7721]

kind of, a few other unions and sub unions make up the stormers

[@Hannes667]

Beste drie - Goggie van Heerden 21:08 and again 22:32

[@francoislourens]

ek is n james small man daai is my hero

[@20165776YEAR]

James was a great player, he played once or twice against Niel Burger, Burger ran over him like he was not even there, James had more success with Jonah Lomu but he could not handle Burger

[@Mimeniia]

Dayum, did Michael du Plessis invent the under hand pass in 1982! 😮 Holy hell we were ahead of the times then already! And the 80's porn music WTF

[@RealRugby]

The skill levels of some of the amateurs playing in the 80's were miles ahead of today's players

[@Mimeniia]

Thats so true. The slick "modern All Black play" is clearly evident lots of the time. The seamless cohesion between backs and forwards.

[@THEDIESELCHANNEL]

Lekkkerrr

[@DefaultGatewayable]

Ek onthou daai dae, toe ek nog nie gebore was nie hahaha

[@aneyefoaneye9348]

02:07 UFC

[@pjneethling26]

Dinesty

[@chrissmit6439]

In todays rugby some of the plays and actions will get a player charged and fingerprinted in a police station, never mind a red card! Those were the days! Naas would have made a difference WP supporters. 😊

[@Zedaindamix]

only white players , can't validate it, wp you lekker ding

[@Mimeniia]

dafuq you mean? 22:42 plenty of cullid support. 🤬

[@jamiekessler6370]

WP.The 'cradle' of SA rugby.

[@deklerkverwoerd7721]

no one cares