This has been in the air for a while: talk that a possibly reason behind the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Varsity Cup campaign struggles to really get off the ground is the Sharks who see the Varsity’s potential rise to prominence as a threat to their own institution, namely the Sharks Academy. In other regions, there appears to be a good working relationship between the rugby unions and the varsities. So I asked the about the Academy’s general feeling towards the UKZN Impis and the appointment of John Mitchell as their new director of coaching and here’s the response I received:
There is a distinct difference between the Varsity Cup competition and what they do at the Sharks Academy. At the Academy they aim to develop professional rugby players while the Varsities aim to educate future workplace professionals – the accent being on workplace not rugby pitch. The Sharks can only benefit from a strong local Varsity Team and as such so would the Academy. This would mean that a player who are undecided could at first pursue a study option and while being involved with the Varsity Shield/Cup, could be noticed by Sharks/Academy and be recruited to their ranks to see if he could make the step up to becoming a professional rugby player.
The unfortunate reality is that there are incorrect perceptions out there about the Academy and what it offers. The Academy provides a service and are transparent about it. Invariably one cannot make all happy and there will be disaffected individuals/parents mainly due to not being selected as a result of:
· Simply not being good enough
· Not training hard enough
· Missed sessions which over the course of a season or two compound astronomically
· Failure to adapt to the professional environment – socially as well as discipline wise
The basic reality is – students who choose to take the university option will not, over a the same time period, be able to put in the amount of training required as compared to a student attending the Sharks Academy. That is the decision that individual/parents must make. While attending the Academy a player can still get an education (albeit with limited on site options – there are students who from the 2nd Year branch out into other course options while still attending the Academy). As the Varsity competitions are quite rightly for full-time students there can be no comparison made between the two organisations. They have different goals and focuses!
Incidentally, students can still take part in the Varsity competitions up to 24/25 years of age. As such a student after attending the Academy, could move to UKZN and complete his studies while competing in the Shield/Cup – win-win for KZN/Sharks rugby.
To reiterate, the Sharks Academy welcome this news of the appointment of John Mitchell and all improvements that make the Impis more competitive!
@All Black: You can say that again …..
8) 
Hmmm. I obviously liked that post.
To improve rugby in KZN the Sharks need to back their Varsities and reinvent the Academy. An academy is for a select few who are basically your stars of the future and not a money making business. KZN loses 90% of its youth every year to Varsities in other provinces. Hence most of our rugby players as well. Many people have tried to make this point but it has fallen on deaf ears. I have nothing against great ideas and successful business but it cannot affect the growth of rugby as a whole. Perhaps an amalgamation of the Academy and UKZN? Use the Academy expertise with the natural draw card and amenities of the Varsity? Just an idea.
To improve rugby in KZN the Sharks need to back their Varsities and reinvent the Academy. An academy is for a select few who are basically your stars of the future and not a money making business. KZN loses 90% of its youth every year to Varsities in other provinces. Hence most of our rugby players as well. Many people have tried to make this point but it has fallen on deaf ears. I have nothing against great ideas and successful business but it cannot affect the growth of rugby as a whole. Perhaps an amalgamation of the Academy and UKZN? Use the Academy expertise with the natural draw card and amenities of the Varsity? Just an idea.
@BOG: Not sure it applies to all varsities. All varsities have their “disturbances” from time to time, KZN just seems to have theirs every single year. I cannot remember a year in the last 10 where there have not been riots of some kind, people being threatened with violence, or “striking student” raiding lecture theatres and chasing real students off campus. It’s all about leadership, diabolical at KZN. When you look at UCT, Stellies, Rhodes, Bloem (well, we did have the one big setback, magnificently resolved by Jonathan Jansen), Potch, Tuks .. all seem to get past it.
UKZN has an image problem that needs to be overcome now, once they resolve leadership.
I am not going to comment on admissions policy – there is no 100% agreement to be had there, nor can we influence it ..
Addendum” Not influenced or directed by politics -ie apart from admissions of course.
@Gungets Tuft: You right- the courses which generally cannot be influenced and directed by politics too much. The rest ???? But I suppose, that applies to all the varsities now.
Good to see that the Academy have taken time to make a statement.
While they “are transparent about it”, perhaps they can share the conversion rates with us. There is a perception that the Sharks academy converts relatively few of their “students” into professional rugby players, the rest are hopeful contributers to the finances for the few that do make it.
It’ a genuine question on my part – I am so far out of the loop at post-school rugby that I should not even be commenting, so some real live info in that regard would be nice.
I am not sure how many local kids get recruited to the Academy so having option 2 is a good thing I think. Of course UKZN needs to get their act together academically as well (perception too – I know quite a few people who have studied locally and are now very gainfully employed in their fields – QS, Engineering, accounting) so perhaps even that is overblown?