Craven Week 2015 – team lists

35 Comments

1. 
   #35 Bush

   @Grasshopper: Who are those 3? SA Schools 2015 Flyhalf from EP Schools and 2015 SA Schools Number 8 EP Schools. EP have been the best side on display so far.

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   14 July, 2015 at 21:24
2. 
   #34 hennieflank

   Tiaan Schutte! Gaan claim daardie 10 jersey ou seun, hy is joune! Baie sterkte aan al die Vrystaat spelers!

   Reply

   13 July, 2015 at 09:29
3. 
   #33 RBugger

   @Pedantic: Terrible news, sorry to hear. That is a huge blow to the KZN side.

   Sometimes these things happen for a reason, perhaps this break will do him good – from the sounds of things, he is already sorted next year – the break and subsequent rest might be the best thing for him

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   6 July, 2015 at 16:24
4. 
   #32 Rugger fan

   @Pedantic: Eish! Sad to hear Pedantic.

   

   My boy is also recovering from ACL reconstruction – so also feeling a little blue.

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   6 July, 2015 at 15:17
5. 
   #31 Pedantic

   @Grasshopper: Yeah sadly … can’t recover in time from a shoulder injury.

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   6 July, 2015 at 13:58
6. 
   #30 Grasshopper

   @Pedantic: Reverse there a bit….Dixon out!! No china!

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   6 July, 2015 at 13:30
7. 
   #29 Pedantic

   @warriors7: Kriel in for Du Randt. Dixon out – not sure of replacement at this stage but would hazard a guess at Muller coming in as he can cover lock and flank.

   Reply

   6 July, 2015 at 13:15
8. 
   #28 warriors7

   @beet can you confirm any changes to the kzn team.

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   6 July, 2015 at 07:07
9. 
   #27 Grasshopper

   @McCulleys Workshop: not really….reckoning vs will happen are two very different things…

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   2 July, 2015 at 05:53
10. 
    #26 McCulleys Workshop

    @Grasshopper: That’s a little like counting chickens …

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    1 July, 2015 at 16:44
11. 
    #25 Grasshopper

    @Die Ken: What I will say is this KZN team won’t be a push over and they won’t be dominated physically. They lack a little height at lock but the likes of Palvie, Dixon, Mchunu etc up front. I reckon KZN will get 3 in the SA Schools team….

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    1 July, 2015 at 14:45
12. 
    #24 Grasshopper

    @Die Ken: That is like saying Watford won’t win the league, obvious….

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    1 July, 2015 at 14:38
13. 
    #23 Die Ken

    @meadows: @Grasshopper: let me add to Spear’s prediction – the Jnr Sharkies will not play on the A field come the Saturday

    Reply

    1 July, 2015 at 13:59
14. 
    #22 Grasshopper

    @meadows: Counting chickens before they hatch comes to mind..

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    1 July, 2015 at 12:38
15. 
    #21 meadows

    @Speartackle: Rugby is a funny old game. People had a similar view in 2008 when the CW was at Affies. Bulls beat OFS convincingly at Bondedag but ended up losing both of their first two games and suffered the indignity of playing their final game on one of the outside fields at Affies while OFS and SWD played in the last game.

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    1 July, 2015 at 11:58
16. 
    #20 Speartackle

    I am no Bulls supporter but unfortunately no CW team will come within 9 points of the Bulls at this year’s CW

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    1 July, 2015 at 11:26
17. 
    #19 Rugbymal

    @meadows: The areas that is left behind in many of the rugby youngsters development and that is something that should start from an early age is the psychological development which will emphasize on
    life after the sport,
    work ethic,
    discipline,
    handling sudden fame and fortune,
    repercussions of social behavior etc etc

    The majority of youngsters fall of the bus not due to skills but due to attitude and the way in which they handle the overwhelming world of being a professional sportsman.

    Reply

    1 July, 2015 at 09:53
18. 
    #18 meadows

    @Rugbymal: Thanks. It is important IMO for these youngsters that have pro aspirations to keep their feet firmly on the ground and ensure that they are working towards an option for life after rugby whether it is in 2, 4 or 10 years time. It is equally important for them to understand the motivation, work ethic and self discipline necessary to ensure that they have reasonable prospect of making it through the next 2-4 years and earning a senior contract.

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    1 July, 2015 at 09:18
19. 
    #17 Rugbymal

    @meadows: Great post and very informative

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    30 June, 2015 at 16:01
20. 
    #16 Grasshopper

    @meadows: Also maybe wanting to study full-time & the massive distraction of girls, partying and booze!

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    30 June, 2015 at 15:58
21. 
    #15 meadows

    @Grasshopper: They were indeed.

    In theory the best players in their respective positions at CW that year. I use the word “theory” deliberately given the usual selection vagaries.

    Regardless, all of the 22 here would have been signed by a major union. There are quite a few that I can recall not even making their franchise U19 starting lineups a year later and dropping out all together by the U21 stage. Injuries can play a big part in derailing an aspirant players ambitions but so do factors like work ethic and obviously limitations being exposed at the higher, more competitive, level.

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    30 June, 2015 at 13:25
22. 
    #14 Grasshopper

    @meadows: Quite good odds it seems but these were the SA Schools sides…

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    30 June, 2015 at 13:04
23. 
    #13 meadows

    By my calculation 5 of the 2007 side are still playing at a Super Rugby level. 9 of the 22 have played senior professional rugby and 2 have become Boks. The numbers for 2008 are very similar.

    Reply

    30 June, 2015 at 12:45
24. 
    #12 meadows

    Congratulations to all the 440 boys making up 20 teams selected to represent their province at Craven Week. It is a fantastic achievement and I would urge all to enjoy it to the full. Paul Roos in Stellenbosch will provide a wonderful venue, steeped in our rugby history, with the added advantage for parents of the fantastic surroundings.
    For the majority this will probably be the highpoint of their rugby career. I estimate that around 120 of these players will be offered junior contracts by one of the 6 Super Rugby unions (I’ve included the Kings and assumed that an average of 20 per team are contracted annually). Some of these contracts will come with a link to an established university, which is good, and others will not. The challenge for all of these youngsters will be to ensure that they progress with an alternative option to playing professional rugby. The harsh reality is that a very small percentage of those contracted will ever play senior professional rugby.
    To make my point I set out below the SA Schools teams selected in 2007 and 2008. The 2007 squad will be 26 this year and should be well established in the pro game. Incidentally 2007 was also held at Stellenbosch. It is interesting to note how many, or few, of these outstanding schoolboy players (theoretically the best 22 at CW) have come through to the pro ranks.
    2007
    01. Dale Chadwick (KwaZulu-Natal), 02. Johan Oberholzer (Golden Lions)
    03. Julian Redelinghuys (Golden Lions) 04. Marchand van Rooyen (Golden Lions) 05. Cornell Hess (Blue Bulls) 06. Marnus Schoeman (Blue Bulls)
    07. Roelof Pienaar (Free State) 08. Nicolas Koster (Western Province)
    09. Rudy Paige (Capt, Golden Lions) 10. Marnitz Boshoff (Pumas)
    11. Ompile Marotothe (Blue Bulls) 12. Robert Ebersohn (Free State)
    13. Earl Snyman (SWD) 14. Riaan Arendse (Eastern Province)
    15. Patrick Lambie (KwaZulu-Natal)
    Replacements
    16. Sibi Masina (Pumas) 17. Coenraad Oosthuizen (Free State)
    18. Kene Ockafor (KwaZulu-Natal) 19. Moeka Bolofo (Free State)
    20. Kelvano King (Eastern Province) 21. Yondela Stampu (Blue Bulls)
    22. Hadley Smith (Free State)

    2008
    15 Patrick Lambie (Michaelhouse, KwaZulu Natal), 14 Tythan Adams (Paul Roos, Western Province), 13 Wandile Mjekeyu (KES, Golden Lions), 12 François Venter (Grey College, Free State), 11 Abednego Mamushi (Hoërskool Middelburg, Mpumalanga), 10 Franna du Toit (Grey College, Free State), 9 Chuma Faas (Grey, Eastern Province), 8 CJ Stander (Oakdale, South Western Districts (captain), 7 PJ Uys (Monument, Golden Lions), 6 Helmut Lehmann (Paarl Gim, Western Province), 5 Neil Kapp (Outeniqua, South Western Districts), 4 Andries Ferreira (Affies, Blue Bulls), 3 Neetlingh Gericke (Oakdale, South Western Districts), 2 Shaun Malton (Glenwood, KwaZulu Natal), 1 Ruan Smith (Paarl Gim, Western Province).
    Replacements: 16 Gareth Topkin (Rondebosch, Western Province), 17 Njabulo Mkize (Westville, KwaZulu Natal), 18 Mlungisi Bali (St Alban’s, Blue Bulls), 19 Siyamthanda Kolisi (Grey, Eastern Province), 20 Sinovuyo Nyoka (Dale, Border), 21 Elton Jantjies (Florida, Golden Lions), 22 Garth April (Bergrivier, Boland).

    Reply

    30 June, 2015 at 12:10
25. 
    #11 beet

    @Vleis: I agree. That would be a lot more accurate than what I proposed Sometimes logic does prevail.

    Hopefully Kattes or someone can lay their hands on the data to indicate how many u17s are at CW this year.

    Reply

    29 June, 2015 at 17:38
26. 
    #10 McCulleys Workshop

    @Vleis: and a quick actuary at that …

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    29 June, 2015 at 17:06
27. 
    #9 Vleis

    @beet: I think that the quickest way to get a reasonable (but not flawless) approximation of the conversion rate for the u18s is to divide the 55 players by the number of u18 players in the 14 teams.

    For example, assuming that 108 players are u17, then the percentage is 27.5% – i.e. 55/(308 – 108).

    Reply

    29 June, 2015 at 16:36
28. 
    #8 Barry

    @BOG: In no way do I reflect on NHS or any other rugby school. I’m just a parent watching from the sidelines.

    I agree with you, and it’s my own opinion. We are already paying the price for certain considerations. Why do you think youngsters are being recruited for international teams?

    Reply

    29 June, 2015 at 16:25
29. 
    #7 BOG

    Non-rugby considerations play a major role in the selection of representative teams and the lower the age group, the more dominant these considerations are. Very expensive games- morally, socially and financially. And ultimately, we will pay the price in rugby terms as well. Just common sense and cents really.

    Reply

    29 June, 2015 at 16:08
30. 
    #6 beet

    @Oakdale supporter: I wonder what a fair and accurate percentage would be when measuring u17 players as a total of 1st XV.

    3/15 = 20%
    4/15 = 27%
    5/15 = 33%

    To introduce the CW u13 players of 2011 into the equation, you need a basis of establishing what is the reasonable percentage that they will back up of the 1st XV otherwise the 18% that Kattes calculated could end up being something like 11% once the candidates get doubled because only a few u17s make CW every year.

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    29 June, 2015 at 12:30
31. 
    #5 Rugger fan

    @Kattes-Strofes: Dankie – very interesting stats.

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    29 June, 2015 at 12:26
32. 
    #4 beet

    @Kattes-Strofes: Thanks Kattes. It’s always an interesting percentage when one considers how much high schools fork out in the form of rugby bursaries to Craven Week u13 kids.

    Reply

    29 June, 2015 at 12:24
33. 
    #3 Kattes-Strofes

    @Oakdale supporter: Nee, ongelukkig nie. Het net die 2010 name wat nou in matriek is.

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    29 June, 2015 at 12:00
34. 
    #2 Oakdale supporter

    @Kattes-Strofes: Het jy dalk die 2011 onder 13 spelers wat nou is graad 11 CW speel bygetel?

    Reply

    29 June, 2015 at 11:32
35. 
    #1 Kattes-Strofes

    Some interesting stats regarding the conversion rate from u/13 Cravenweek ,to u/18 level. I have the names of 14 of the 2010 u/13 Craven week teams and compared them to the 2015 u/18 teams. Some of the u/13 players did make it at other unions at u/18 level. I think that I have picked up most of these, but could have slipped the odd one.

    Of the 14 teams [308 players] of 2010, 55 players is playing Cravenweek again this year. If my maths is still ok [ which I very much doubt], that presents 18 percent. Lets make it 20 percent, to cover the possible slip-ups from me. What would be interesting is to see how many of these boys will go on to become professional players, in spite of the fact that most will receive junior contracts from the various unions.

    A breakdown of the various teams, show that the successfull conversion rate is much better at the so- called smaller unions.
    The following stats per union; Boland 8 players; EP 6 players; SWD 5 players; Falcons 4 players; Griffons 4 players; Griquas 4 players; Border 4 players; Pumas 4 players; WP 4 players; Lions 3 players; Free State 3 players; Kwazulu Natal 3 players; Blue Bulls 2 players; Limpopo Bulls 1 player.

    Another stat that surprised me, was the fact that props is the possition with the best conversion rate. 8 props made it through to u/18 level. This is very surprising as size is very important at Primary School level.

    As mentioned earlier, these stats is not foolproof, but it is more or less accurate

    Reply

    29 June, 2015 at 10:39