Heart of the Terriers honours Toti’s 75th anniversary
AMANZIMTOTI Rugby Club celebrated its 75th anniversary in fine style last Saturday when a venerable collection of old boys were entertained by Sharks and Springbok legend Ian Mcintosh at a function that doubled as the launch of a book on the history of the club.
Former players from the ’50s and ’60s through to the present day gathered to celebrate a milestone for one of the last true community rugby clubs in the country.
In 1946, Toti started out as a rugby club for the local town and 75 years later that is still the case.
As KZNRU president Brian van Zyl told the proud old boys: “Many clubs have come and gone, had name changes or amalgamated, but Toti is still Toti after three-quarters of a century and remains very much a community-based club, and that is a proud achievement.”
Also present was Mr Club Rugby, Jos Robson, who in the ’70s gave the club their nickname, the South Coast Terriers, because of their never-say-die attitude.
That name survives to this day and is reflected in the title of the book commemorating the 75th anniversary, The Heart of the Terriers.
The production of the book was an all-club affair, with old boy Mike Greenaway penning the history and local media company, Kiba Media, publishing it.
Mcintosh, the former Sharks and Springbok coach spoke of his fondness for a club where he took occasional training sessions and was the guest of honour at annual Awards Dinners.
“When you go through this book, you understand that you can never ever buy tradition … it is earned,” Mcintosh said. “What also comes out strongly is the “gees” or happiness of this club and the heart of the club which has ensured it has stood the test of time.
“The anecdotes and stories told by players of so many different generations speak of the wonderful amateur era of the game when club rugby was so much fun and the social side to the game was as important as the actual playing.
“On a sober note, I worry that those days are gone and young players today do not have the same experiences,” Mcintosh said.
“When I first started coaching Natal over 30 years ago, after moving to Durban from Zimbabwe, Natal played eight games a season and the top players played for their clubs. The selectors would go to watch club rugby to select the Natal team.”
Mcintosh said that club rugby should be the heartbeat of the game.
“When I read the tales in this book of down-to-earth rugby folk having fun, of how the older players taught the youngsters the ropes on and off the field, of rugby with no airs and graces, it reminds me of what a great game rugby is, and how we must not neglect the roots of the game.”