After what’s hoped will be another exciting (and as usual crammed) domestic inter-schools season, a fairly strong KZN under-18 Sharks will have to run the gauntlet at Craven Week in 2017 after being placed in the group of death that includes a first up game against the Bulls, a side they have not beaten in ages at under-18 level; the Golden Lions and Western Province. Any hopes of progressing or even just winning a 2017 Craven Week match (at altitude), will be improved significantly if a number of factors which the province has struggled to come to terms with in the past, can fall into place this time around. It starts with appointing the right people to manage/coach the process and if necessary establishing a proper focus group specifically geared towards high performance and developing a proper plan for success both short and long term, finding ways to reduce existing bias in the selection process, selecting a squad that ticks most boxes and finally making sure that the everything possible has been done to bring to the fore good form and cohesion. There are obviously other things that play a role in success so the more o an attention to detail culture that can be established, the better the end results are likely to be.
IDing and tracking the good players is key.
@GreenBlooded: Do you think privatisation will change anything long-term in SA tho. The salary cap in England affords a bit of stability in terms of ceiling pay but French club rugby is a different beast. They can basically offer whatever salary package they like and there haven’t been that many signs to indicate a leveling off of pay in France either. So as long as those free market conditions exist, which big business will want to commit to an SA brand where the operating costs in the form of salaries are excessive before even adding the negativity associated with political pressures that get blown up now and again. SA rugby franchise just don’t seem that attractive as investments.
If the salary bill could be controlled by not contracting the cream of the crop players, it still won’t help if NZ continue to hold onto their best players and produce world class Super Rugby teams filled with stars that trounce our local teams. Competitive teams are vital for business success.
@GreenBlooded: Thought you were pop and rivoting something
@GreenBlooded: Lol
@Speartackle:
Eish. president. privatising. P button not working. Must be worn out from calling everyone a …………
@GreenBlooded: Please say that in plain english….dont understand those words….never heard of them
I see that the new SARU resident Mark Alexander is considering rivatising the franchises. If that happens, expect a ratcheting up of the current player movements and packages on offer…….
@Grasshopper: Personally I don’t think the unions or their agents should be involved in the movement, placement or bursaries provided to school boy players. However I think Glenwood have done a great job of attracting talent to KZN. They haven’t always managed the situation well and unnecessarily burnt bridges in the process, but it would seem KZN would be worse off at CW, GK etc without their efforts.
@Bush: ask Gary Teichmann and co, they the ones making all the promises. The schools just house the kids….there are far bigger players in these movements than just the schools & management
@Speartackle: It’s pretty sad. The kid is in Grade 11. Possible future player for KZN and now he’s gone. What is the system doing wrong if these kids just up and leave. KZN needs these youngsters. If they not going to stay what’s the point of bringing them here in the first place.
Rumour has it he is going to Hoërskool Pretoria Noord
@Bush:
The ‘way I have reacted’ shows nothing. I didn’t even know he’d left until ou Umbiloburger mentioned it. I could give him a call and find out, but I’m really not interested in the goings on in the lives of people that don’t concern me.
@GreenBlooded: Just interested that’s all. Don’t get your back up.
They way you have reacted shows it’s more than him just returning back to his Old School. Maybe he returned in my vehicle.
@Bush:
“We just want to understand “WHY” nobody seems to be willing to give out the info”. Because it’s private and confidential and nobody’s business. I thought that was obvious. Would you like you lightie’s personal business trotted out on a rugby blog?
Why do you care anyway?
@Grasshopper: Morning Hops how the summer treating you? That’s a dead horse. We just want to understand “WHY” nobody seems to be willing to give out the info. The kid was doing so well at GW and now in Grade 11 he’s back at his old school. Why?????
@Grasshopper: Came for awhile and stayed until he was 22.
@McCulleys Workshop: I never knew you & Uncle Tom were so close…
@Grasshopper: Damn, I nearly rolled Siyabonga Tom
@Bush: a bit like Bader Pretorius but he stayed on…
@McCulleys Workshop: it’s common knowledge why College can’t play GLENWOOD in term 3….it’s got everything to do with timing and the GW-GREY match. House not playing GW…I honestly don’t know why..easy to guess but who cares..House play GW in all other sports. And as for Affies, GW losing them on the fixture list was a blow. I believe they are the yard stick that GW measure themselves on. But not to be.
@Bush: What’s also alarming is that Affies aren’t dropping their fixture against Westville! So it can’t be a travel issue, a lack of funds, a lack of depth, or mismatched games, there must be another reason why the Glenwood – Affies derby was cancelled.
@McCulleys Workshop: Evening McCulleys how you keeping? I think it’s a fairytale.
@Grasshopper: Ok, so what is your response to this potential scenario: House and College have fixture dates with Glenwood for 2017, then Glenwood decide on 2 Pretoria schools
and suggest both College and House move their fixtures to accommodate Glenwoods new friends. Both schools can’t/don’t accommodate the request. So House in your book doesn’t want to take a 50 point loss so have elected not to play Glenwood and College (your greatest local rival) are playing PBHS and KES twice. And apparently KES have extended their season by a week to accommodate the game. But maybe it’s a fairytale.
Not playing a school for decisions that any administrators or staff make or made, only punishes the boys or girls. But that’s just my opinion.
@McCulleys Workshop: that would be quite a story if Glenwood did cancel.
Glenwood acquired that good player from Garsfontein in the first place.
@McCulleys Workshop: no chance of that, Glenwood play what’s in front of them no matter what…
@McCulleys Workshop: Never….
@umbiloburger: Lol. Are you cancelling your fixture?
@Grasshopper: Somewhere near Garsfontein I think. ?
@umbiloburger: that is a pity, where is home?
@Grasshopper: Unfortunately for KZN, O’Neill is no longer at GW. Moved back home. As far as locks go, wasn’t there a Westville lock in the GK team with JJ?
@Grasshopper: Unfortunately for KZN, O’Neill is no longer at GW. Moved back home.
@Grasshopper: Hopper I agree with you. I watched him at CW. He threw the ball in at the lineout, KZN lost possession and he sprinted flat out and mongreled the no 13 as he received the ball. He has pace, a great eye for space and great hands. He shouldn’t be playing 2 in my opinion.
It was quite interesting to see the positions that SARU had picked DHS plaeyrs Pepsi Buthelezi and Sean Barnes for the u17 camp.
Barnes is/was a loose forward but no longer seems to have the dimensions or mobility to hold down a backrow position playing against higher standard competition. So he was listed as a tight head prop. Not a unique positional move for an SBR player to make but a difficult one indeed to make it work at TH as opposed to LH. Anyway if DHS push ahead with this and he comes off, it could be good for KZN.
Buthelezi is usually viewed as a 7 but like a handful of promising players before him including the likes of Notshe, Kolisi and most recently Dayimane, as well as a few locals that we’ve had over the years like Mazibuko and Jafta who’s been named as the new Sharks Amateur rugby GM recently, I sort of get the feeling that his body proportions are not quite well suited to being a blindside flank. So developing Pepsi as either a 6 or ike we are seeing with Notshe now as an 8, certainly provides improved long term opportunities to succeed in rugby. Again hopefully we get to see KZN endorse the idea of a more specialist type openside flank and hopefully Pepsi comes good in this role. I’ve become a closet fan of Maro Itoje who has been phenomenal for England. Although he’s an athletic lock, his tackled ball turnover skills are unbelievable. An athletic player like Pepsi will do well to mimic his technique at the breakdowns.
There will be some good compo for backrow possies. o’Niell has impressed me this year and after injury cut short his season Westville’s Dillon Taljaard is bound to be putting his hand up in 2017. Another under the radar player I can think of off the top of my head is Tristan Warren who has done good work for Hilton. And obviously there will be some u16s from this year who will want a piece of the action as well.
@Grasshopper: I think its also a case of where he will fit in after school. Kearsney have another decent option at hooker for 2017 in Cherry who played 1sts when Richardson picked as a loosie, so it will be interesting to see which way the coaches go next year. Both boys need to buckle down and work on their lineout accuracy to compliment other aspects of their play.
Fez Mbatha is another hooker that SARU have tracked for a while now. He couldn’t unseat Landman at College this year but he has plenty to offer and I expect that he’ll be strong compo to retain his CW spot in 2017.
@beet: For me Richardson is wasted at hooker, he must play flank. Schwulst is probably the best hooker in KZN and should stay there. I really don’t like players converting to prop in grade12. Vorster is a prime example, he should have stayed at hooker. He got pulverised at scrum time by Monnas and in the KZN side. A Buthelezi, Richardson and O’Neill loose trio sounds exciting to me
@Greenman: Good idea. I will see if I can change that table over this weekend.
@beet: Also we have a few forward thinking coaches / officials in KZN some of whom are marginalised possibly because they are NOT in it to win popularity contests. But KZN needs to start giving them the podium and let their ideas dominate the structuring. We don’t have the talent pool of other regions so we need people who think outside the box to help us get ahead. Instead we seem to have a few dinosaurs who are out of touch in the pound seats.
@Greenman: Yeah I though the u17 squad blog has lots of potential as a guide for 2017 and I didn’t want it to become side-tracked just yet.
But don’t feel bad, I’m about to do the same with the Tuks Reeks thread.
@Greenman: @Grasshopper: Yeah I’m a big believer in cohesion for provincial tournaments. When the boys gel and understand each other, their setpieces work better, they attack better and the defensive organisation comes together better.
Years after other big provinces instituted high performance squads and training, KZN twigged onto the concept. We have permanently been following in the footsteps of big union rivals and I think its partly because our processes have been driven by people who are not hands on rugbymen and therefore lack the experience to identify the challenging requirements (just my opinion tho). Also I’ve said that trying to congest a rugby season to end when the 2nd term finishes, does our system no good in terms of readying players for youth weeks. If we could all have “exam breaks” in June and play 3 weeks into term 3 like Gwd and MC, it would ease the burden.
Back to a point I mentioned. We are meant to have a HP system now but it’s not working. Perhaps the wrong people driving it. Perhaps lack of commitment to it from all sides. After this CW, it needs to become a bigger focus. For example Dylan Richardson – to me in spite of being u17 he was my KZN player of the year but to pick him as a lineout thrower for CW was a gamble that didn’t pay off. The HP needs to ID these skillsets + positional requirements early on and fix them or pick the best player available who fits the requirement. Sadly with this lineout issue, KZN has been there before in the past and learnt a hard lesson – one that was obviously quickly forgotten.
School rugby still offers plenty of room for individual brilliance to shine through but neglecting the value of the whole being greater than the same of the parts is a mistake.
So I’m with you guys on identify EARLY and work from there. There process should actually start with the u16s. Look at the strengths and weaknesses of the youngsters who will be the backbone of the team 2 years down the line and start planning programmes that will enhance positives and mask negatives.
@beet: Let me give you a bit of work! Hope you don’t mind. How about updating the top 50 2015-2016?
@Greenman: The earlier they get together the better. Agree to not pick on hype/reputation. I like the idea of trials in neutral jersey’s maybe with outsiders picking a team, say Swys giving a day of his time to pick his best side.
@beet: Thanks for your input. I would like to see the selectors identifying possibles early (early trials) and work with them prior to CW. As a unit we always sucked at CW. get the combinations right which is very necessary. Build camaraderie and then tackle CW. Also, pick on merit and not name. Don’t play players out of position on the day. If this is required (hope not) then start early and speak to the school coaches on intention. This has put a lot of pressure on the player. Further, selectors to apply their mind on the players and not the hype.
My contribution.
note: Beet, did you just dump us here on the sideline?
@beet: What is it with House and double barrelled surname locks….a factory of them it seems…
@beet: Yep, I get your point. I did hear he was the 5th quickest in the team this year, so as quick as some of the backs. I also noticed he likes to play loose and does have good hands, so No8 might work. He would need to lose about 5kg though. At 120kg he is a big boy…
@McCulleys Workshop: Thanks Beet in answering your question. My interest is in Glenwood and will only next year be able to tell you about the others. Maybe you can call some of yours if you know them as Beet did. We will have to wait and see. What I did see was that KZN is not well represented in the u/17 elite squad compared to the other provinces.
@Grasshopper: I hear what you say about JJ at lock and his long term future but at the same time it’s hard to ignore what he could bring to the ballgame as a school no.8. For his size he has a good turn of pace, lateral ability and decent hands + willingness to pass. This season he hasn’t really been the contact dominator in spite of his size -this may well turn around with the confidence that comes with being a senior in the team as opposed to an u17 and if he adds a few more kgs he might lose a metre or two in pace next year but for now he really strikes me a youngster who likes to attack space and is most potent when give a bit of room, rather than having to always play tight and closer to the pack. Based on current ability I’d really like to see what he can achieve as a school no.8 and then move to lock after school.
@McCulleys Workshop: KZN will be stocked up on decent options at lock.
I’m really excited about two prospects: solidly built George Putter from Hilton and 2m+ Oliver Calvert-Evers from Michaelhouse.
Both boys have improved tremendously during this past season and if they keep going at that rate they should be well any national scouts time to track in 2017.
Putter is a unit. He must be about 196 maybe taller now and well filled out so I can see him tipping the scales at close to 115kg next year. As an u16, he struggled to stay on his feet as a ball runner but this year, he’s been worth 5m-10m on just about every carry. He gets into a nice low head leading position as a carrier and has good power in those big legs of his – a really solid tight player as well.
Calvert-Evers has been showing a lot of positive signs as the season went on and his confidence grew. A good no5 option. He will be a great lineout exponent and his contributions in the broken play are also starting to become more and more noticeable.
Another player I’m excited about is Ross Taylor of Kearsney. Perhaps a little short now to be a lock at now at 190 but he’s tough as nails and thrives in contact. Has some decent handling skills as well and I’ve seen him make a few telling offloads in contact which always scores high marks these days. Kearsney 1st XV used him in the backrow and he performed really well here. But in terms of being a versatile option for a provincial youth week team in 2017, he’s worth keeping an eye on.
@Greenman: Thanks, what would be helpful is if you have any insight into any of the other lock candidates outside of Glenwood. JJ would have played against these guys over the years.
@Greenman: maybe Thyssen & Schwultz can be converted!
@Grasshopper: Don’t worry we will sort out the props by next year. All schools! hold on to your props
@Greenman: Did a recon of provincial, 1st and 2nd team players, see below. Looks thin at prop.
Props
Jordan Clarke (GK)
Hookers
D Truter (GK 2015) – ?
B Schwultz (KZN Academy)
Jhaques Thyssen (GK & SA Under 16 elite squad)
Locks
E Terblanche (2nd team)
JJ van der Mescht (SA Academy)
E Laubscher (1st team)
Lunga Ncube (GK & SA Under 16 elite squad)
Loose Forwards
Jonathan O’Neil (KZN Academy)
Leonard Barnard (GK)
Scrumhalves
J Jooste (1st team)
Jaden Hendrickse (GK & SA under 16 elite squad)
Flyhalves
M van Rensburg (2nd team)
Dylan Pretorious (GK & SA Under 16 elite squad)
Centres
JC Conradie (KZN Academy)
Conan Le Fleur (KZN Academy)
Rynardt Jonker (GK & SA Under 16 elite squad)
Wings
Siyanda Cele (GK & SA Under 16 elite squad)
Aaron Larue (GK)
Fullback
D Kruger (KZN Academy)
Runako Brynard (GK)
Thabiso Mdletshe (GK)
George Luzolo (GK & SA under 16 elite squad)
Joe Jonas (GK)
Coetzee, Werner Johan (GK B)
Johannes, Andrico Dean (GK B)
Luthuli, Lindokuhle Mervyn (GK B)
Van Wyk, Marthino Lee-Wirtt (GK B)
Wilson, Calvin (GK B)
@Grasshopper: Truter I think hooker and schwulze prop. Lunga Ncube , last year GK lock could be in there as well.
@Greenman: Agreed on Laubscher, very skilled athletic player. He could lock with Terblanche or JJ, I think JJ should stay at lock where his future is at. I know at this level they prefer locks to be similar size but JJ at 8 if far too big. We need his bulk in the forwards. Front row is a little concerning, no real experienced props. Schwultz might have to play there. The backs will be insane….Conradie, Jooste, Kruger, Le Fleur, Van Rensburg. What ever happened to Truter at hooker?
@McCulleys Workshop: Glad you lifted your head without a bump or was it not the case. Ettiene Terblanche (picked out of position as he is a flanker) was the other lock at GK and Edward Laubscher non traveling reserve for GK. Don’t think Laubscher had the experience at lock at the time having played prop under 15 A year before. I also think sanity might not prevail but I might be completely wrong. If they keep JJ at lock it might be Laubscher to partner him. He is 1.94 and touches 100kg. That said, JJ is very fast and might be great at 8 th man. It will allow the 10 space as that use to be JJ’s spot. I said we will have a great team this year but somehow things went wrong after Japan. I am certain we will have a great team next year and we will need it. Come on 2017!
@Greenman: Who played with JJ for GK and who do you see partnering him at CW, assuming sanity prevails and he remains at 5. I thought NW had 2 locks this year that certainly had the height and size to have achieved at a higher level, although when I watched them pre season their conditioning wasn’t great.