The ideal of the u16A match being the last match before the 1st XV has been used here and there but it has not gained much traction.
Many of the big successful rugby schools in South Africa subscribe to traditions or a hierarchy that makes a 2nd XV players a lot higher in seniority and therefore status than an u16A player.
The general school rugby following public don’t necessarily see it that way. There is far greater interest in u16A results and in terms of festivals, standalone 2nd XV festivals have generally been low key affairs and don’t ever come close to u16A festivals which draw significant interest.
The main intention behind swapping around the 2nd XV and u16A matches on a typical interschools rugby Saturday, shouldn’t be driven by spectator interests. It should be a decision reached in the interests of promoting player safety in the face of a changing game.
Ideally a 1st XV player should play the entire interschools match if he is not injured (or carded). But if he is injured (or carded), an enforced change could see a 2nd XV player on the park for a second game in a row, sometimes just minutes after he’s completed his 2nd XV match.
The switch would therefore guarantee that the 2nd XV player has at least an hour to recover ahead of sitting on the replacements bench.
Your thoughts…
@beet: Very, very valid points. Unless the squad system is banned and a 2nd team player can only play in the 1st team match, because of a real injury, I might actually change my opinion re.the 2nd team match to be the main curtain raiser for the 1st team match.
One of the top S&C coaches in KZN said this to me about 2nd XV players resting for an hour before sitting on the bench for the 1st XV
“Provided they hydrate properly and have another good warm.up/ mobility session prior to having to go on. In theory 2nd XV players need to be fitter than 1st XV”
I know traditions are important and establishing senior hierarchy but at the same time so many other things have changed in school rugby from little things to big things.
Juniors didn’t wear numbers when I was at school.
We had to write first team names tests on Friday evenings before our new headmaster arrived and thought it was better for us to write Saturday school academic tests.
Also when I was at school, asking for a second bucket of sand was a famous place kicker trick to try use up time when his team was ahead. Now they have plastic tees and if the kick isn’t taken within 1 min, its forfeited.
In senior rugby now, half the team don’t play a full match and yet we sometimes expect a 2nd XV player at school level to complete a match and a quarter if not more.
I don’t agree with the squad system at school but I do think in the interests of improving safety, all the science points to fatigue as an injury risk increaser, so plan in such a way to reduce it.
In die Nooordvaal is dit nou al praktyk dat 0/16 speel die hoof voor wedstryd. Ek het geen probleem daarmee nie … dit gee 1st XV reserwes ook genoeg tyd om te rus.
Teen Affies 2022 het 2des die hoof voor wedstryd gespeel by Affies.
@Smallies: Korrek. Ek sal jou dit sê, die hare sal waai in die koshuis as n St 8 laaitie die voorkeur kry bo die St 9 en veral St 10 ou wat 2de span speel.
@Smallies: I agree. A field matches should be 0/14A, 0/15A, 0/16A, 2nd, 1st and if it is a really big interschools with lots of teams the 2nd teams should still be the main curtain raiser.
@Smallies: Agree!
The only problem I foresee is gr10 laaitys getting ahead of themselves because they now suddenly play the second biggest game of the day ….that spot to me belongs to the 2nd team
Either way – makes no real difference to me. If you play on the A-field, the timing should not matter that much to a team.