Academy Week plays an important role in South African rugby. The Sharks will testify to this. In 2009 Paul Jordaan of Grey College attracted interest while representing the Free State Academy team as an under-17 player. He ticked all the right boxes and soon after the national youth week he was signed up by the Sharks on a very good junior contract. Today, four years later he’s a Super Rugby starter. Last year Hilton’s captain and hooker Chris de Beer could only manage a bench spot on the KZN Academy Week team. Today he’s the captain of the Sharks under-19 Currie Cup team and his future is looking a lot brighter that many of his rivals from around the country that did get the opportunity to play at Craven Week. Likewise under-20 Junior World Championship Baby Boks Luan de Bruin (Free State) and Aidon Davis (now Eastern Province) both had doors opened for them because of their achievements at Academy Week. The list of examples goes on and on.
In the general public’s mind, the under-18 Academy Week is a “B” team event. It comes across to many as a tournament that places well below Craven Week and even the under-16 Grant Khomo Week in the hierarchy of school rugby importance. However the truth is that from a rugby big picture point of view, there are sometimes unbelievably good business opportunities at Academy Week for union recruiters.
By this time of year, the unions have more or less filled their book for the following year’s contracted under-19 intake. The focus shifts towards under-17 players who will form part of longer term post school plans. There is no better place to go in search of talent than at Academy Week. With the scouts being in attendance and with their attention firmly focused on the action, special performances by under-18’s that may have missed or not considered during initial scouting, could still persuade the powers that be to make an extra funded openings available after school.
A number of factors play an important role in ensuring Academy Week is not a “B” team event:
- · Quota sometimes prevents regional teams from selecting all their best players to attend Craven Week.
- · There are also other instances not determined by the above where players of similar ability compete for just one available Craven Week spot and someone has to lose out.
- · Craven Week selectors pick players based on their here and now form and ability. Talent scouts have to evaluate the same players based on future potential to succeed at a higher level. The two different sets of criteria results in the same players being rated differently by school selectors and scouts.
In a nutshell, Academy Week will contain many players good enough to play at Craven Week and good enough to succeed at making a career out of professional rugby one day.
@beet: is Chris de beer playing hooker or prop,any sharks u19 names out yet?
@HORSEFLY NO.1: From there he played SA Schools. Allways a talent.
@HORSEFLY NO.1: Jean het wel Akademie gespeel maar ek wil my verbeel ‘n besering het hom gepla en dat wel geoormerk was vir die WP span. Hy was ‘n talent van die begin af soos ek verstaan. Presies hoe weet ek nie maar hy het toe wel die Akademie span gehaal. Hulle het egter in die Cravenweek gespeel as ‘n tipe B span. Daarom is hy op die lys van Springbokke wat CW gespeel het. Anders as Hougie, wie aan die latere Akademie week deelgeneem het.
@BoishaaiPa: Volgens Bog se vertaling op a ander “thread” wen die poepol toe die borste. Moes die ref gewees het. Of dalk is die keurders se kierankies besig om te braai.
@Klofie Pa: Ek sien Boland het met 1 punt gewen?..WTF?…Hoe kry hulle dit reg?…
@Playa23: nee wat playa ek kan geen kommentaar lewer want ek nie daar nie. maar gebasseer op ander se opmerkings is…..,
maar nou ja nie n goeie begin en hoop dit gaan beter more!!
@Klofie Pa: What went wrong?
ooopse f&$@k daizy!!!
I remember watching a curtain raiser to a test match at Kings Park a few years ago. SA Schools (Craven Week) team versus SA Academy team. Academy team gave the Craven Week team a good beating.
Although I’m not 100% sure, I think Jean de Villiers is another great example of people who were discovered at Academy Week as he never made CW
Ek het in 2006 Akademie week gespeel vir SWD. In daardie week het o.a. Stephan Dippenaar en Francois Hougaard vir WP gespeel en nog ‘n paar vandag, bekende spelers. Dit is ‘n toernooi wat nooit moet weggeneem word nie, aangesien dit vir ongelukkige spelers nog ‘n kans gee om hulself te bewys. Ongelukkig is daar kwotas wat sekerre spelers uit die Craven week span hou, dit is ‘n realiteit. Daardie jaar was Outeniqua se tweede span stut (speler van kleur) bo my as haker vir die Craven week gekies as reserwe haker, terwyl ek die begin haker vir Outeniqua se eerste span was in elke wedstryd vir Kwaggas in 2006. Die speler wat bo my vir die Craven week gekies is was nie eers goed genoeg om op kwaggas se reserwebank gekies te word nie. So kwotas was daardie tyd ‘n realiteit. Ek was ook by een van die SWD oefeninge ingelig dat ek nie as kaptein gekies kan word nie, aangesien die afrigter ‘n speler van kleur wil he wat die span moet lei. Ongelukkig was ek daardie tyd nog naief en geglo jy moet net stilbly en jou job doen. As so iets vandag met my of my kind moes gebeur, sou ek onttrek het. Op ‘n ander punt: die toernooi dien ook as ‘n geleentheid vir skole om Gr.11 spelers van klein skole na groter skole te lok vir hul matriekjaar. Ons SWD akademie skrumskakel daardie jaar, Rudy Paige, wat nou vir die bulle speel, was Outeniqua se begin skrumskakel, maar na die akademie week moes ons by die kwaggas oefening net hoor hy is na ‘n skool in Gauteng, waar hy ‘n aanbod gekry het. Dieselfde voorval het die vorige jaar by die Grant khomo toernooi gebeur, waar daar ook ‘n paar spelers na Gautengse skole gelok is. So buiten aanbiedinge vanaf unies, dien hierdie toernooi ook as ‘n toernooi waar skole spelers koop.
@Tarpeys. Yes Jonny Kotze from Bishops, bright prospect. He made the Academy XV that played France later that year (2011). His 2012 season was troubled by injury and when he regained full fitness he earned promotion from WP u19 to their u21 team. 2nd year out of school now. WP have many good young centres in their ranks so hard work ahead for him but he does have the goods to succeed.
Anyone heard of the term “idealistic” ?
@Beet, I think it was probably based more on his Craven Week performance. On province, I remember watching an amazing WP centre at AW 2011 at UJ by the name of Johnny Kotze. Awesome Awesome player, I hope he moves up the ranks at WP.
@Tarpeys: I think Shaun Adendorff, Mark Richards and now Sti Sithole are excellent examples because none of them played CW at all. Mark Richards was an excellent Sharks junior player – I really thought he deserved a chance in the Sharks senior team.
About Stefan Ungerer and Daniel Kriel – they both had Bulls school contracts long before they went to AW. Stefan famously did an about turn on the Bulls’ first right of refusal offer and joined the Sharks instead. Daniel accepted and is now in Pretoria.
I’d like to believe that Ruan C. adds more value than a few of the fullbacks that have had seen Super Rugby action this season. A pity his development has been stunted by the Lions’ regression. Do you know if Combrinck was made an offer by WP as a result of playing at AW? I guess it could also have come about via CW in 2008.
Stefan Ungerer 2010
Shaun Adendorff 2010
Sti Sitole 2011
Dan Kriel 2011
Sebastian Negri ( Italy u19) 2012
Mark Richards 2007
Ruan Combrinck 2007
A few KZN players that have kicked on since making themselves known at AW.
@McCulleys Workshop: That is a BIG BIG problem with the quota system. Players struggle to gain recognition as being picked on merit. It will always uphold the colour divide and give opportunity to question the inclusion of certain players.
The flipside is obviously to consider where the rugby “transformation” process would have been had quota system not been in place.
There appears to be so few players who are now at the top as a direct result of the youth week quota system.
Something of interest is the Rooney Rule in the NFL. It’s an affirmative action policy. It’s a rule which forces NFL teams to interview candidates from the minority race groups for head coach and senior coach positions. Wiki says:
“Since the Rooney Rule was established, several NFL franchises have hired African American head coaches, … At the start of the 2006 season, the overall percentage of African American coaches had jumped to 22%, up from 6% prior to the Rooney Rule.”
The success of the rule leads me to believe that people were denied opportunities when they had the talent.
It’s something to consider. Many of us want quotas scrapped but we also need to get to a place in SA where selections and opportunities are free of all forms of prejudice. That essentially means that we can’t have racists running the show. People who work in rugby at any level must look passed colour.
One thing that I am grateful for at school provincial week level is that the quota system is defined. We know it exists and we know exactly how it works. At junior (u19 + u21) + senior level, there are undisclosed rules which just adds to the frustration at times. I can recall many past EOYT selections that made no sense at all and were often totally unjustified.
@McCulleys Workshop: Sad and sick!!!! I am 200% convinced that if you take the quota system away you will in SWD not see any change in the ” colour ” make-up of the squad. We are confident that we send the best in every position of our u/18 players to CW. I must say that I’m not sure about the u/16 and it is definately not the case at u/13 level. Our primary school management structure is not up to scratch,…their results show this every year for the past 4 years.
@Predator: that is the problem with the quota system, it continues to identify people by race.
@Tjoppa: The players get signed by the large unions at a very early stage. There are some very talented players mostly from the Kwaggas that was signed last year allready. The boys tend to stay in the SWD because the Kwaggas play in the top tournaments anyway, and they know that the other unions are keen to sign the players of colour which are talented. I heard that a player like Warrick Gelant is not considered a ” Player of Colour ” because of his exceptional talent, and I must agree with that. At the Kwaggas we are fortunate to have very talented boys of color and don’t see them that way, we see them as very good rugby players, but I know that this is not the case in all the provinces.
@McCulleys Workshop: A poet in progress, just hope it is not Langenhoven.
@Tjoppa: can’t blame them, a proper winter and summer vs rain en soet wyn!
@McCulleys Workshop: Those at Garsfontein was reallocated to help the poor boys to escape from their horrible homes in EC. I am talking about the talented youths in the EC.
@McCulleys Workshop
Thanks for your reply. If nothing is done by tomorrow I will get back to you. Thanks for the offer but L have already spoken to GM from the Sharks and he gave me the number for SE from Glenwood who got hold of the responsible persons so I hope everything will be resolved in the morning
@Tjoppa: seems like SWD is a great opportunity for any scout… Those that aren’t already at Garsfontein.
@Predator: Just a question would you see the SWD already stripped of the BEE talent or do they mostly disappear only after gr12. Is a similar selection criteria in place as with the other EC provinces?
@GROOTKROKODIL: this is embarrassing and f…ing sif, ask Beet for my email address, happy to put some of the boys up if need be.
The SWD team is well balanced and should do well . Also a great opportunity for the boys from the smaller unions to show off their skill and be recognized by the scouts.
@beet: The more opportunities created for the kids, the better. Francois Hougaard played WP Ac under Duvenage who played WP.
@BEET @KLOFIE PA
Dit is `n absolute gemors. Het niemand vooraf die verblyf geinspekteer nie?Daar is slegs 1 stort plek vir 26 kamers–stort +/- 150mm onder water met vuil water die baddens het geen proppe en die plek is gedeeltelik onder konstruksie–is dit soos die PUMAS moet bly wat laas jaar onoorwonne uit die Akademie Week weg geloop het. Wonder waar gaan die SHARKS CRAVEN WEEK span volgende jaar in Middelburg bly as dit is wat hulle van ons dink(dalk die algemene hospital of die begraafplaas) NIE EEN VAN DIE SHARKS WAT DIE WEEK GEREEL HET SAL IN SO N PLEK BLY NIE HOEKOM MOET DIE PUMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SHARKS WYS TROTS EN STEL DIE GEMORS REG
@BOG: At Academy Week in 2009. He played CW and SA Schools in 2010.
@beet: Were they seen and recruited at KERF or Academy Week? Speaking of Paul Jordaan
@Klofie Pa: @beet: Daai hulproep klink opreg. Is jy ‘n plumber beet?
@Klofie Pa: Ja I sent you the all important cell no. of the official in charge of Campbell House which is a Durban University of Technology hostel near Glenwood.
They must sort it out as an emergency.
@Klofie Pa: Kuk storie as jy my vra.
seems the boarding kicked off to n bad start for the Pumas, Valke and Border CD!! Showers and toilets under 3 feet water with pong going around in the diningroom is totally not on!!! Hope the guys from Campbell House will respond!!
Beet ek het vir jou die foto gestuur!!
Doen iets!!!!!!!