The Western Province Rugby Institute (WPRI) officially came into being in 2007. Its objective is to tap into the vast rugby talent pool that exists in the Western Cape and then to fill any positional gaps with players from outside the region. The Institute accepts that it is not the beginning point of rugby development (schools are), nor is it the end point, however what it has set out to achieve is use a one year programme to transform dedicated rugby players from “young boys into rugby playing men.” Apart from being just a one year course, the other unique features of the Institute are that it only accommodates about 50 players and that there is no tertiary study courses directly linked to it. On the surface, the idea of 18-year-olds living on the University of Stellenbosch campus and therefore being able to enjoy the social benefits of a student lifestyle without having the attached responsibility of studying or exams to pass seems like an absolute jol or a recipe for disaster, depending on whether you are looking at it from the point of view of the teenager or the parent.
The Institute’s CEO Jacques Hanekom assisted with explanations about how the Institute came into being, the issues surrounding study and the relationship with the Maties. His honesty in this regard was very refreshing.
Why the WPRI started
Before the WPRI came into being, all Western Province contracted players went directly to either Maties or the University of Cape Town. By the mid-naughties rugby started becoming more professional at junior level (under-19 to under-21 rugby after school) and it was discovered that these contracted players did not follow a proper conditioning programme and lacked a lot of work. As a result the Union began doing conditioning in the morning before classes. Neither university was prepared to adapt any of their courses to accommodate the extra workload of aspiring young professional sportsmen, which is still the case to this day. Due to this extra workload being added to inflexible academic requirements, players took stain and ended up dropping out of varsity. The thinking behind the WPRI was to introduce a one year programme, which would serve as a gap year, focusing solely on rugby at a very high intensity level. The aim was to be able to do a full assessment on a young player’s ability and then to make a call on it at the end of July each year. Those players earmarked for a career would be accepted into the full-time professional set-up and encouraged to study via correspondence not university. Many have taken this advice with a few having already completed their degrees. Those that did not make the cut are persuaded to rather enroll at a university or to seek an alternative form of education.
Studying during the year at WPRI
“Our view changed lately and we (WPRI) are putting in a lot of effort to get players to study and we were prepared to change the existing programme to accommodate any player who wants to study. At the moment 80% of the players are going to study through Unisa and the only reason for that is the fact that neither Maties or UCT is prepared to accommodate any sportsman or women to do an extended degree”.
The relationship with Maties
Stellenbosch was originally chosen because of the availability of accommodation, it being a student town that catered for young people and the fact that the university was prepared to give up it’s under-20 team. The latter meant that the WPRI could play as one team in the WP club competition, something the desperately wanted. The reason is the Institute assesses it’s players within the context of a team and not only as individual athletes. Although the Institute operates 100% independently of Maties, the university has invested a lot of money without the guarantees of getting the players the following year. Although most players do end up going to Maties, a good few end up at UCT and elsewhere as well.
Conclusion: The proof is in the pudding.
Since the WPRI’s inception, Western Province/Stormers rugby has undergone a transformation. Last year they were able to field an eventual Currie Cup winning team with an average age of 23 at times. Had several of their young stars not been injured or jumped ship to either head overseas or join the Bulls, this average age might have been even lower. Over the years there has been talk of how the Aussies are able to fast-track promising young players. Well we are now seeing the same kind of results in the Cape. The Institute does not only measure success at the top level. As mentioned above, not all players are earmarked for professional rugby. Many former players have made vital contributions to the Maties and UCT rugby as well and have helped win the Varsity Cups. On top of that WPRI notes that many have gone on to complete degrees at university and via correspondence. The WPRI is making a difference.
First year players for 2013:
| NAME | SURNAME | POSITION | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wesley | Adonis | Prop | Paarl BH |
| Liam | Hendricks | Prop | Paarl BH |
| Janus | Myburgh | Prop | Litchenburg |
| Morné | Nortje | Prop | Tygerberg |
| Ryan | Plasket | Prop | St Albans |
| Nico | Steenkamp | Prop | Waterkloof |
| Michael | van Tonder | Prop | Paarl BH |
| Nathan | Gogela | Hooker | Wynberg |
| Chad | Solomon | Hooker | Paul Roos |
| Jeandré | Augustyn | Lock | Jan Kriel |
| Sebastian | Ferreira | Lock | Paarl BH |
| Duncan | Geldenhuys | Lock | Rondebosch |
| Sebastian | Negri | Lock | Hilton |
| Jan | Uys | Lock | Paul Roos |
| Attie | Van Rensburg | Lock | Paarl Gim |
| Janco | Venter | Lock | Windhoek, Namibia |
| Gareth | de Bruin | L/Forward | Grey College |
| Johan | de Villiers | L/Forward | Boland Landbou |
| Gareth | Ehret | L/Forward | Grey High |
| Dean | Hensley | L/Forward | Paarl BH |
| Steven | Meiring | L/Forward | Affies |
| Joe | Miller | L/Forward | Bishops |
| Joshua | Moon | L/Forward | Michaelhouse |
| Ruan | Rossouw | L/Forward | Paul Roos |
| Ramone | Samuels | L/Forward | Paul Roos |
| Ryno | van der Merwe | L/Forward | Paarl BH |
| Luke | van der Smit | L/Forward | SACS |
| DG | Wiese | L/Forward | Otji Rugby, Namibia |
| Jonty | Bredell | Scrumhalf | St Stithians |
| SP | Ferreira | Scrumhalf | Paul Roos |
| Ryno | Eksteen | Flyhalf | Affies |
| Pieter | Jordaan | Flyhalf | Grey College |
| Alvino | Montjies | Flyhalf | Paul Roos |
| Wesley | Cupido | Centre | Paarl Gim |
| Marcus | Geldenhuys | Centre | Paul Roos |
| Michal | Haznar | Centre | Paul Roos |
| Jason | Morris | Centre | Bishops |
| Michael | Mvelase-Julyan | Centre | Michaelhouse |
| Divan | Visser | Centre | Otji Rugby, Namibia |
| Arthur | Festus | Wing | Paarl BH |
| Dalen | Goliath | Wing | Paul Roos |
| Shane | Grundlingh | Wing | Tygerberg |
| Francois | Botha | Fullback | Boland Landbou |
| Calvin | Smith | Fullback | Hilton |
| Jason | Worrall | Fullback | Paul Roos |
@All Black: A bit late to the ruck, but here goes.
Firstly, what the Bulls have to their disadvantage is that all their dealings are hugely publicised.This is the first time I have seen this number re WP Institute, and I am equally incessed.
On the flip side of the coin…club rugby in the Cape is very much alive.These boys will at least be active in rugby (and hopefully get some studying done as well).Whereas, a 19 year old trekking to Pretoria will be hugely dependent on making the Tuks side to have any chance of advancing.Another reason I think people have a baby where Bulls and recruiting is concerned.To add fuel to the fire, they now take boys out of their high schools…that cannot do any noble efforts they may have any good.
Lastly, and related to the first point on publicity…there is a long line of talent that has gone north of the Vaal,and have come back demoralised due to the large numbers of competition up there, lack of game time, etc.
Always wondered if players were split into clubs on a quote bases or by what clubs were in favour.
@beet: i know the club rugby is of major concern to the sharks academy,the sharks person i spoke to said that they were going to devide their contracted and busary players more evenly amongst all the clubs,in the past a player played were he wanted thus many players ended up at the same club,but they don’t have any say over the players that pay their own way
One thing that must be remebered is that less than half of these players actually have WP contracts to attend WPRI. ..the rest must pay out of their own pockets if they get accepted to the intstitute. There is no gaurentee of a WP contract after a year either!….
@All Black: No I mean in a sense that there is a different body within the Sharks RU that is meant to oversee club rugby.
@beet: I think it is definitely their direct concern. They rely on the clubs for the obvious game time exposure for their academy players but they also ask the clubs to provide accommodation for many of their out of town boys. I dont believe they can exist without the clubs and vice versa. Maties, Tuks, Shimlas, Pukke etc have the Varsities that take care of this issue.
@All Black: I have emailed the Sharks Academy on the Club rugby issue. It’s not their direct concern but forms part of their player development package, so will be interesting to find out what plans they have to resurrect KZN club rugby if they feel it’s necessary.
@Green Hopper: Well the top Glenwood players don’t seem to be going to the Sharks Academy anymore so I guess if Calvin had stayed he would have ended up at the Bulls or maybe the Cheetahs now anyway.
On a positive note, at least he’s been given a lifeline. He’s 2012 season was marred by injury and he had to play centre when fit, so there was not much continued form to base his assessment on.
Off the topic, I heard that Hilton OB Emil Schwartz has given up rugby following his horrific leg injury a couple of years back. He is now pursuing a career in pro golf via a golfing academy
why is Clavin Smith there, looks like his move to Hilton from GW didnt help him , much , however i do know of a Glenwood boy invited to go
@beet: Hi Beet. It is interesting that the Bulls almost demanded that their youngsters study. They even have tutors to help those that are battling. A comment from their main guy was that they dont want players just focusing on rugby, they need to have something else. He went on to say that when a player gets injured and is not studying they become depressed and walk around doing nothing. They are very against this. In fact they have put huge pressure on the players regarding these studies saying that if you fail there will be consequences. They have a Prof in charge of them who is handling their day to day studies/tutoring/living etc. Tough man.
@beet: I think WP have a bigger problem than the Bulls in this regard, with all the talent they currently have in their juniors. I think it is just important that youngsters play rugby at a really good level. WP and Bulls both have their players available for Varsity cup (havent seen WPU 19’s in their squad yet) which means some great competitive rugby. There are also various other leagues that they play in. Whilst this is happening they are also being afforded the chance to study and better themselves at ‘real’ Universities. The same goes for Potch, OFS etc. Many avenues for youngsters to enjoy and compete. How can one say no to this scenario when you compare it to paying a fortune for a half hearted attempt at an education and playing in club league that is down to 4 reasonably competitive teams? Actually maybe 3 teams. The side that came 4th in the Frank Norris last year got beaten by more than 50 on a few occasions. So lets look at this clearly: All and sundry can basically get into local academy, pay lots of money, part time degree/diploma, play in a league that has no depth and has many games called off due to lack of numbers, no varsity cup side, a senior team that is known for buying in players when they need them rather than nurturing youth. Difficult decision.
@ZnCoach: I think the models offered by the Sharks and WP are different in many respects.
What is interesting about the Academy is their determination to ensure that top players make the academic grades. To the extent that the contracts have built in clauses requiring boys to achieve certain goals while studying. They also structure training around lectures, so that both can be fitted in. The downfall is lack of study opportunities with just 2-3 courses available. But here WPRI has put it into perspective, if you set to go pro, study UNISA not varsity!
It was also interesting that of the 90+ new uncontracted players at the Sharks in 2012, 6 got contracts at the end of the season, so there is definitely something to play for.
What seems really good about the WPRI, is it specialises in rugby. It makes no bones about it that if you want to become a pro, you have to put rugby first and everything else second. I think that is a honest reality that some of the other junior rugby set-ups are trying to window-dress.
At the same time it will be interesting to find out what happens at Pukke coz from what Leon said a few years back, they are a university that actually tries to accommodate rugby players.
@All Black: I think the Bulls deserve credit for the effort they put in and for finding the money to plough into junior rugby. Also we need to blame the other unions for allowing the Bulls to get so far ahead as well without giving them more compo in offering contracts. But aren’t you risking overlooking a crucial aspect when purely talking numbers. No one would have an issue with the Bulls contracting even 100 players per year. It’s their insistence on getting all the best players to the extent that they have or are about to develop position bottlenecks right, left and centres. There is a valid concern that some players who are good enough to step it up and make the next grade get sidelined or even cut prematurely and then have to start all over again without a contract.
Sorry to break up the colour scheme of black, but Beet, does the “mid naughties” have anything to do with the mid forties?
Good to see both Johan and Faffa at the WPRI, although very sad that Arno van Wyk (at the expense of Solomon) and Justin Basson were allowed to sign with the Bulls. SBR standouts in the above list (of which some were never justly rewarded in representative sides) are Seb Ferreira (should have played SA Schools in 2012), Duncan Geldenhuys and Luke van der Smit. It also seems that a few non-merit players from the useless 2012 WP CW side managed to sneak in here as well. Clearly one can never underestimate the power of wine and tobacco.
Perhaps people should be identifying what they are really upset about and that is the profits first scenario here in KZN. Dont point fingers at Provinces who are getting off their butts and attracting youngsters rather than looking for parents who can pay the huge fee to get coached and a diploma/degree that allows you to be a personal trainer.
I see they have 45 players in U19. The Bulls have 42 and yet everyone jumps up and down about the Bulls? Last year everyone was talking about how many youngsters are part of WP Rugby at present. Their Currie Cup side was full of U21 players and both their U19 and U21 teams played in the finals. Who is really hoarding all the talent then? Perhaps people been a bit unfair on the Bulls? If people are saying that talent is going to waste in Pretoria then what do you call this?
Interesting article Beet, from reading the article it seems the WPRI has a better model than the Sharks Academy who take on approx 150 first years am seem to worry more about profits than making great players, if I was a parent who’s son was planning on being a pro rugby player I’d far rather send him to WPRI than the Sharks , because he will get more specialized coaching and attention at the WPRI
Interesting that some of KZN’s best players have gone there.