False Bay RFC loosehead prop, Wayrin Losper caps a remarkable year in his rugby journey when he jets off to Veneto to participate in the Italian Top Ten for Mogliano Veneto Rugby in a fortnight.
The 29-year-old has grafted his way to this point, most recently adding a 2023 Currie Cup Winners medal to his already impressive collection.
Losper, a sturdy, mobile block of a man, was an integral part of False Bay’s winning SLA2022 campaign and was then snapped up by Hawes Fourie at the Cheetahs.
Besides his obvious scrumming skills, Losper is an impressive ball carrier, with a high work rate and never shirks on defence.
A Western Province under-21 squad member in 2015 and a WP Emerging player in 2016, his rugby journey has included playing Varsity Shield for UWC, then Varsity Cup for the Ikey Tigers in 2017 and 2018, before moving to Maties Varsity Cup outfit in 2019.
He broke through into the provincial ranks, representing Boland in the SuperSport Challenge in 2019, and their Currie Cup team from 2019 to 2022. Earlier this year, he capped his provincial campaign to date when he faced up to former False Bay prop, Simon Raw in the Currie Cup Final against the Pumas.
Mogliano Veneto Rugby was established in 1956 and were crowned Italian Champions in 2012, and Losper is aware of the expectations placed upon him.
“For me , is an opportunity for me to showcase my skills in a very competitive and professional league”, said Losper.
With his imminent departure, the Bay have been deprived of his services for the remainder of the season. Props are a scarce commodity at most clubs, and Losper’s presence added much depth to the Bay reserves, although the cupboard at Constantia is by no means bare.
This Saturday, False Bay host Brackenfell, both sides tied in sixth position on the SLA table, although the visitors hold the edge in the form of a game in hand. The season is approaching doomsday, that dreaded stage when the top six finishers are confirmed, left to fight another day in the form of the knock-out phase for title honours.
The Bay had admittedly been gaining momentum over the last few matches, but the runway is running out of space and their knockout-phase fate seems to be entirely at the mercy of other fixtures. Brackenfell will be no pushover and False Bay then travel to Uni-Mil to face a rampant and resurgent team, who have a tough week ahead of them as they face Maties on Women’s Day and the False Bay three days later.
Whatever the permutations for the First XV, False Bay’s Seconds, Thirds and under-20 As all have plenty to play for, the two senior teams both in the top three of their respective league, the under-20 outfit chasing national dreams.
False Bay’s match day against Brackenfell kicks off at the Philip Herbstein Fields from 1.30 pm on Saturday. All are welcome.
