Robert Loftus Owen Versfeld
circa 1891 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Robert Loftus Owen Versfeld 7 December 1862 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Died | 4 May 1932 (aged 69) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Marthinus Versfeld, Charles Versfeld | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation(s) | Solicitor, Administrator | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Robert Loftus Owen Versfeld (7 December 1862 – 5 May 1932) was a South African rugby union player and administrator who was a founding member of the Eastern Province Rugby Union and of the Pretoria Rugby Subunion (1908) which in 1938 became Northern Transvaal. He founded Pretoria Rugby Club in 1888, and established Pretoria rugby headquarters at Eastern Sports Grounds. He introduced grass playing fields to the Transvaal.
Versfeld is the only South African player to have won a Grand Challenge Cup in three different provinces with three different teams: the inaugural Western Province Grand Challenge Cup with Hamilton Rugby Football Club in 1883; the Eastern Province Grand Challenge Cup with Union RFC in 1888; and the Transvaal Grand Challenge Cup with Pretoria RFC in 1889. He also played for a Transvaal Country XV against Bill MacLagan's touring British Isles side in 1891.