@beet Jason Bateman has produced a new reality TV series called Outlast. 16 Lone Wolves are dropped in the Alaskan wilderness. There is only one rule in the cut throat game: they must be part of a team to win. The 16 survivors are asked to form four teams of four and then they are given the same equipment to begin the challenge. The team who survives the longest, wins $1 Million. Since there is only one rule, the game quickly descends into chaos.
When I watched Outlast, it reminded me of South African School Boy Rugby. Each school essentially starts out with the same equipment but because there are no rules governing the sport, the ruthless and unethical quickly prevail.
How can you have a ranking system which is based on the assumption that all schools are equal when it comes to playing rugby. No account is made for schools who use bursaries or marketing programs to recruit players for the sole purpose of marketing the school. Some schools have such a professional approach to rugby whilst a few others see the sport as part of a balanced curriculum.
Most parents are not aware of the dark side of school boy rugby and they assume all schools follow an unwritten code of conduct. The majority of school boy fixtures are still played as “friendlies”. It’s the rankings which create a huge amount of unnecessary tension between parents and coaches.
I would propose no rankings are published until there are formal guidelines and rules about school boy rugby. Each school should at a minimum publish the following:
1) How many boys are playing on a sport bursary.
2) How many boys are sponsored or paid for by old boys, a school bursary scheme or a marketing fund.
3) How many boys were recruited by the school.
4) How many coaches are professional.
5) How many boys have been tested for banned substances and the results of the tests (this must be through an independent third party).
6) The weight and height of boys through each grade of high school (also verified through an independent third party).
7) The commentators of televised school rugby fixtures should give out the above information before and after the fixture.
8) The ages of all boys and the number of years they have spent in high school.
9) A list of boys who started in grade eight, etc.
Until rankings make a clear distinction between a professional vs an amateur approach, they only serve those who exploit the lack of control and governance in school boy sport.
RANKINGS ARE FLAWED.
When I watched Outlast, it reminded me of South African School Boy Rugby. Each school essentially starts out with the same equipment but because there are no rules governing the sport, the ruthless and unethical quickly prevail.
How can you have a ranking system which is based on the assumption that all schools are equal when it comes to playing rugby. No account is made for schools who use bursaries or marketing programs to recruit players for the sole purpose of marketing the school. Some schools have such a professional approach to rugby whilst a few others see the sport as part of a balanced curriculum.
Most parents are not aware of the dark side of school boy rugby and they assume all schools follow an unwritten code of conduct. The majority of school boy fixtures are still played as “friendlies”. It’s the rankings which create a huge amount of unnecessary tension between parents and coaches.
I would propose no rankings are published until there are formal guidelines and rules about school boy rugby. Each school should at a minimum publish the following:
1) How many boys are playing on a sport bursary.
2) How many boys are sponsored or paid for by old boys, a school bursary scheme or a marketing fund.
3) How many boys were recruited by the school.
4) How many coaches are professional.
5) How many boys have been tested for banned substances and the results of the tests (this must be through an independent third party).
6) The weight and height of boys through each grade of high school (also verified through an independent third party).
7) The commentators of televised school rugby fixtures should give out the above information before and after the fixture.
8) The ages of all boys and the number of years they have spent in high school.
9) A list of boys who started in grade eight, etc.
Until rankings make a clear distinction between a professional vs an amateur approach, they only serve those who exploit the lack of control and governance in school boy sport.