Email from SARU to certified Boksmart coaches and referees :
Dear BokSmart Certified Coach or Referee
Thank you for your contributions to Playing Smarter, Safer, Rugby.
As part of the BokSmart initiative, we have developed a new BokSmart focused Research and Communications portal called BokSurveys.com. Via this portal, we will be able to communicate important Rugby Safety related information to you directly, and will also be able to use this as a platform to perform certain Research Surveys aimed at further improving both the safety of the game and player performance.
As you are aware, safety and effectiveness are interlinked, and if you coach the safest body positions and techniques in the tackle, ball carries, post-tackle contest and scrums for example, you will not only keep your players safe, you will make them better at these phases of the game. This benefits both you and the players.
We encourage you to please sign up and register yourself on the BokSmart Research Survey portal www.BokSurveys.com and participate in our first very important Scrum and Breakdown survey.
It is important that you report the information for this survey as accurately as possible. The information you provide us will assist us in developing appropriate and more focused preventative strategies regarding rugby safety, and will also provide SARU with a better understanding of the current level of expertise available around the country in these two areas of the game.
We are also trying to assess the demand for and availability of specialist scrum coaches and specialist breakdown coaches Nationwide.
The subsequent data from this survey will be analysed, and reported upon regarding the level of expertise currently available, where this expertise is mapped around the country, and where there is a lack of such expertise available.
Furthermore, the information provided by this survey, will assist BokSmart and SARU to make informed decisions around potential strategies regarding improving player safety and player performance across the board in South Africa.
Your assistance and participation in this process is extremely important to us.
Yours in Rugby and Safety
You can also follow us on www.Facebook.com/BokSmart and @BokSmart on Twitter
– The BokSmart Team
I think this is an excellent initiative from SARU’s side. There is a definite need for qualified specialist scrum coaches.
As a coach I want to urge everybody that knows a coach / coaches to ask them to complete the survey. Hopefully SARU will get sufficient information from current coaches to put together a plan of action.