Although I’m a big fan of school rugby Easter festivals, I’ve sometimes felt a little guilty that my entertainment is being provided at a higher than acceptable injury risk to the players participating. Squads are made up of 22 players, there is rotation and games at certain festivals are reduced from 70 to 60 minutes. Nevertheless the best team players are often required to play all three games over just five days. It’s the kind of big ask we would not dream of making of our modern top senior professionals.
This is not to suggest that I believe anyone involved in running festival rugby or managing teams is irresponsible. If anything I’ve seen coaches and organisers go to great lengths to look after the players. The world is a changing place though and school rugby has changed with it. On the field we now get to see kids that are bigger, stronger and in many instances faster than ever before. A short while back I did the research that proved our SA Schools team of 2012 is both heavier and taller than the 1992 Springbok team ( http://schoolboyrugby.co.za/blog/?p=1048 ). This school rugby player growth curve is very much on the rise still. Chances are that in a few years from now, we might even think back and regard things such as an 800kg pack as being on the small side. With bigger, stronger, faster comes bigger collisions and greater wear and tear on the body, which at a festival then only gets a day to rest and recover before the next match .
On the more positive side, I’m not a qualified health expert but I imagine that with Easter festivals being held early on in the season, kids are still fresh and their bodies are thus able to absorb the knocks more easily without breaking down than later on in the year. There is also usually a two week rest and recovery break between the conclusion of the a festival and the next inter-school’s fixture.
I had a couple of festival ideas that I thought might be worth considering. One was to increase the sizes of squads to 25 players and introduce set rotation rules for all teams to follow. With so much riding on the outcomes of games these days, I’m not sure many schools would buy into this idea though, as it might strategically allow one school to field it’s strongest possible team against another school’s side containing 10 potential 2nd XV starters. The second idea was to limit games to just 25 minutes per half. This translates to 150 minutes of rugby over three match days, just 10 minutes more than two normal length games (70min x 2). Two games in five days seems pretty reasonable but reducing game time that much could also turn the wonderful game from good old fashioned rugga into something that resembles a form of Sevens.
Injuries are an area of the sport that I’m sure is constantly monitored. I enjoy rugby. I fully realise that it being a contact sport, there are bound to be injuries along the way. However ensuring player safety remains paramount.
Part of an article by a Sharksmart doctor here: http://schoolboyrugby.co.za/blog/?p=1894
SATERDAG
Afskop A Veld B Veld Spanne
07h50 1 Oakdale vs Sharks
09h00 2 Waterkloof vs Paarl Gim
10h10 3 Diamantveld vs EG Jansen
3 Grey High vs Outeniqua
11h20 4 Glenwood vs Paarl Boys High
4 Wildeklawer vs HTS Drostdy
12h30 5 Boland Landbou vs Noord Kaap
13h40 6 Affies vs Paul Roos
14h50 7 Monnas vs Grey
16h00 8 Maritzburg Col vs Framesby
DONDERDAG
A Veld B Veld Spanne
1 EG Jansen vs Noord Kaap
2 Glenwood vs Boland Landbou
3 HTS Drostdy vs Monnas
3 Affies vs Framesby
4 Grey Bfn vs Oakdale
4 Sharks vs Paarl Boys High
5 Diamantveld vs Grey High
6 Paarl Gim vs Wildeklawer
7 Maritzburg Col vs Paul Roos
8 Outeniqua vs Waterkloof
I see that the 2012 No 1 ranked school is getting a real snub at Wildeklawer playing an invitational side on the B-Field on the opening day!..Playing Glenwood in the second fixture…Grey Bloem playing Oakdale and Monnas.
@Andre T:
I suggest you check out Selborne College.You’re bound to get some massive forwards who’ll fit in well in Italian rugby culture.
@Playa: I’m currently looking for players to go and play for Rovigo…..any recommendations?
@BoishaaiPa: I agree. And that”s what I actually wanted to suggest,but thought it would be pushing it.But I agree wholeheartedly with that.
@Andre T: Television
Look, that would be a difficult one to implement,I’ll admit.But I do think that scouts need to know where and where not to scout.They currently have no boundaries.
@Playa: I would go one further and say that no boy can play 2 consecutive matches and max of 2 matches. That will ensure that the coaches do some planning and use different combinations. That will also help that one full 1st team doesnt get to play another schools reserves…you will have a 50/50 mix the whole time, more and better exposure for players and more evenly distributed contests…I think!
Then
@Playa: The how would I watch these games then?
Valid points there beet.
As far as festivals are concerned…how about one simple rule…no one boy should play more than 2 (or 120 minutes) games in any one festival?This would force schools to increase the squads they take (and as a consequence add some financial implications).
Or secondly, look at introducing rolling subs.This is done in Res (Koshuis) leagues in our varsities.
Lastly,and on a controversial note,ban provincial scouts from these festivals.
Agreed Beet, we also need to ensure all boys are tested for drugs and age. There is a limit to human growth without the inclusion of drugs etc. I think we have reached that point. To have 2m and 130kg plus kids is ridiculous. About the fatigue and over playing players, ask the Glenwood players of 2013. They played 15 games in 11 weeks, 10 of which were in a month playing tough opposition. Some schools only played 15 games in the entire season. It was madness and it seems the same is on the cards for 2013. Here is the list of those games with dates;
1 Rosorio A 2012/02/11
2 Cordoba A 2012/02/13
3 Mendoza A 2012/02/17
4 Westville A 2012/03/10
5 Michaelhouse H 2012/03/17
6 Noord Kaap Pukke 2012/03/29
7 Framesby Pukke 2012/03/31
8 Potch Volkskool Pukke 2012/04/02
9 Monument Kearsney 2012/04/05
10 Dale College Kearsney 2012/04/07
11 Queens College Kearsney 2012/04/09
12 George Campbell H 2012/04/14
13 Hilton A 2011/04/21
14 Paarl Gim Wildeklawer 2012/04/27
15 Outeniqua Wildeklawer 2012/04/30
@Beet I couldn’t agree more, festivals are great but at what price ? I personally think that during festivals the games should be no more than 25mins per half and like you have suggested a larger squad of players used, rugby has not changed in 100 years what has changed is the conditioning of the players, they are bigger, stronger and faster than ever before and if we want to see the stars of the festivals in future playing for the Boks now is the time to look after them.