Although it’s been a couple of months since it was made public that current DHS Head of Rugby and First XV coach Deon Gericke will be moving to St Charles in Pietermaritzburg in 2013, there are still no clear indications about who his replacement will be. Just recently the post of Head of Rugby was advertised in a local newspaper, suggesting that if anything the DHS governing body and others involved in the process are still pretty far off reaching a final decision. DHS has come under fire in local school rugby circles for failing to live up to the expectations of a school with a long and proud history in the sport. Their rugby had been in decline for a number of years now. The downward spiral has lead to fewer and fewer good primary school rugby players choicing to go to “School” over the years and along the way they have also lost good players to other local schools. Lack of quality hasn’t been the only concern though. Poor participation in rugby has seen a reduction in the number of teams that DHS are able to field on any given Saturday. DHS has one of the lowest student to rugby player conversion ratios amongst the recognised top rugby schools in SA at the moment. This year there has been evidence in the form of encouraging lower age group A-team results to suggest that things have stabilised and that DHS are in the process of turning a corner. The strong under-14 age group offers hope, particularly in light of the fact that in 2016 when these boys are in their final year, DHS will turn 150 years old. In the meantime it’s at the all-important 1st team level that improvement and consistency are still so desperately sort after. A good Head of Rugby could go a long way to speeding up the rugby turnaround.
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@Green Hopper:
I think thats what Mike Fennell has been brought in for.
DHS has the largest old boy network so thats not the problem. Mike was actually at DHS last week talking to staff and parents whilst also announcing how much hes already raised for the school via old boys.
i think that DHS has the Old Boys wil, but not the school, this needs to be aligned before they can move on ,
it is certainly a job i would like
@GreenBlooded: I keep hearing whispers and rumours about this “medical aid story” please someone give me more info. You are welcome to email me on cyndi.rugby.photography@gmail.com.
All schools seem to have the summer and winter sport rule but it isn’t monitored except for those bursary kids. Many boys also argue that rugby is both a summer and winter sport now with games starting in the first term and finishing in the 3rd.
@Greenwood: My hubby played that smoking sport in both DHS and Westville. Maybe if he had been booted onto the field back then, he’d be a lot healthier today :grin:
Slightly off topic but I see that the Guest of Honour at the recent GW sport awards was a WOB (G.Hill). Nice gesture.Shows we do not have to be at loggerheads all the time.The big picture must always be the boys and their development and growth through their school days.No regrets must be the war cry.Same for kids that might need a bit of a push as Greenwood alluded to.
When I was at Glenwood many years ago I did no sport beside smoking in the changeooms – I was told on no certain terms that I had to do 1 track and one field event for athletics whether I liked it or not – this turned out be a blessing as I surprisingly won the track event by a long way , canned the smoking and over the years ended up with honours etc – so there is hidden talent in all of us and by forcing or encouriging the guys to do sport is of great benifit for the schools
@GreenBlooded:
The rule still stands that every kid in grade 8,9,10 has to play a sport every term, but it seems that they just arent strict enough about this.
An example is this years U16 age group, at U14 they had up to a G side but they could only pitch 3 sides this year.
But i do think that with success comes depth.
@HORSEFLY NO.1: The people who never do anything at school? What is wrong with the school management to allow this?
We were obliged to do a winter and summer sport when I was at Glenwood – we had to participate in extra-murals. Also the winter sport had to be rugby unless there was a very good reason so we were able to field down to a G rugby team in U13. Sounds like the school management need to grow a set and whip those boys into gear – which would probably go a long way to getting on the right track as far as depth goes.
@GreenBlooded:
Also, participation is key. But yes the demographics dont hel at all!!
What frustrates me is those people who never do anything ever at school! If you are going to be like that then you much rather be at Star College or something!
Anyways, we are hoping our current U14s will take us through and that the renovation plans will go ahead smoothly.
@GreenBlooded:
i will tell you what, the old boys are tired of it. we are very happy in that some sports have gone up but are still very frustrated by the decline in swimming, polo and rugby. also doesnt help when players leave the school for whatever reasons.
@CyndiAtRugby: As noted in the article, they seem to be turning the corner which is a good thing for SBR in KZN. Their U14A were probably the best in that agegroup in KZN this season. They now need to work on depth and getting more boys to play – the current demographic are not the rugby playing type. Hopefully if the suspected meddical aid kicks in then they will be on the path to recovery. I for one will be very pleased with that as it is getting boring klapping them year in and year out.
It is very sad to see what is happening in terms of DHS rugby and yet I know of some outstanding players currently at DHS. You firstly need parents interested in the school so that the Head of Rugby can make an impression.
First impressions count for prospective parents and for many the schools web page is the first impression – generally you can find lots about DHS cricket and basketball, but not much about rugby.