Schedule of trials, training camps and warm-up matches for 2014 under-18 Craven Week, under-18 Academy Week and under-16 Grant Khomo Week.
| TIME | DAY | DATE | ZONE | VENUE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14h00 | Tue | 08/04/2014 | Highways Pre | Hillcrest |
| 14h00 | Mon | 14/04/2014 | South Costal Pre | Port Shepstone |
| 14h00 | Wed | 16/04/2014 | Pmb Pre | Linpark |
| 14h00 | Thu | 17/04/2014 | South Durban Pre | Port Natal |
| 14h00 | Tue | 22/04/2014 | Northern Kzn Pre | Ferrum |
| 14h00 | Wed | 23/04/2014 | Midlands Pre | Greytown |
| 14h00 | Wed | 23/04/2014 | Zululand Pre | Mick Kelly |
| 14h00 | Mon | 05/05/2014 | Pietermaritzburg | Voortrekker |
| 14h00 | Tue | 06/05/2014 | Midlands | Hilton |
| Thu | 08/05/2014 | Northern Region | Vryheid | |
| 14h00 | Mon | 12/05/2014 | North Durban | George Campbell |
| 14h00 | Tue | 13/05/2014 | Highways | Westville |
| 14h00 | Wed | 14/05/2014 | South Durban | Glenwood |
| 08h00 | Tue | 20/05/2014 | Main | Woodburn |
| 13h00 | Tue | 27/05/2014 | Final | Woodburn |
| 15h00 | Mon | 02/06/2014 | Training | Woodburn |
| 15h00 | Wed | 04/06/2014 | Training | Woodburn |
| 15h00 | Mon | 09/06/2014 | Training/Matches | Woodburn |
| 15h00 | Wed | 11/06/2014 | Training/Capping | Kings Park |
| Mon | 16/06/2014 | Pumas Home | Woodburn | |
| 15h00 | Mon | 23/06/2014 | Training | Kings Park |
| 15h00 | Wed | 25/06/2014 | Training | Woodburn |
| u18/u16 Camp | TBA | |||
| u18 Craven Week Camp | TBA |
@RugbyDad: Yes – as I understand it the same rules apply. U19’s and U18’s can play U20 rugby in any position but U18’s need Schedule A and B to play in the front row. Note however that in the age banding document, U20 in not defined – it falls under a different set of rules which to be honest I should be familiar with but am not……
@GreenBlooded: This is a bit confusing too, as it also seems to apply to U18’s playing in U20 league at club. Watched a club game on Tuesday where the 4 and 6 were U18 (born 1996) and were cleared by the union to play U20. They were playing in the bottom of the log team against a team that some contracted players are battling to make. Got hammered 65-0 and I was concerned when I watched the scrums buckling (hookers backside ended up facing top of opposition poles).
FYI – Glenwood is not just a one trick pony; http://www.glenwoodhighschool.co.za/breaking-news-squash
@Buffel: Yep, and DHS could upset Hilton too, especially if Gouws is still out!
@Grasshopper: there is some serious rugby this weekend but I was only talking about local. MHS should be very cautious as NW are on a roll and at home are a different animal.
@meadows: please check. I sent you email.
@Buffel: And Grey Bloem vs Selborne & Paul Roos vs Wynberg!
@Buffel: Yep, will be good. I read that it would’ve been nice for Westville and GW to play each other now, rather that the beginning of the season. I think the same would apply to the KC – NW game, but it’s in the history books
@RugbyDad: Top of the pile- College vs KC at Goldstones
@Greenblooded: It’s causing a huge amount of problems as it hasn’t really been enforced. There was a huge amount of confusion when at Wildeklawer Sam Swanepoel wasn’t allowed to play. Lets just say the proverbial has hit the fan with the amount of paperwork that has been quickly been filled in this week.
@Jimbo: You allude to an important point which is going to trip some schools up in the near future as the referees have been told to tighten up on this not-well-known clause in the age banding regulations.
In the U19 age band – which is the only 3 year age band consisting of U17, U18 and U19 – U17 players in front row positions have to have a Schedule A and Schedule B form completed and approved. Many schools are not doing this. This is going to cause an issue on match day when the referee does not allow the U17 player to play.
Looking forward to this weekends games. Think Hilton – DHS and Northwood – MHS could be good.
@Jimbo: Some schools have already tightened up their checking.
@Jimbo: I agree, there are quite a few suspicious boys in all the schools in all age groups, you can just see in their faces and builds that they are maturer than they saying….
The issue of suspiciously over-age players needs to be continuously addressed. In my opinion there are some players in KZN that appear to be overage and the schools concerned need to take action by looking beyond easily-forged or inaccurate birth certificates to ensure that such players are compliant. This particularly applies to the front row where the risk of injury from 17 year-olds being mismatched against 20 year-olds is real. I can think of two schools in particular to which this observation applies. It is up to all school coaches and administrators to tackle the problem by insisting that such players undergo physical tests to scientifically determine the ages of suspect players. Its also up to the schools concerned to stop turning a blind eye to the obvious. Such schools may also be running the risk of litigation as a consequence of serious injury being caused by an overage player.
edited
I presume that the sides for the trials will be announced in due course so that we know who is who. Good luck to all the boys.
@Pedantic: Yeah I hear what you are saying but during this game the boy got the ball with some space ahead of him. He is not just a big basher type, he can run like a centre.
@star: Not so sure about your 2015 tight five but I agree that the younger players should be blooded through AW if they’re good enough – it would be a step towards building a core for 2015 CW which is a good thing.
@beet: 2M tall athletic locks would be expected to run really well with the ball against normal sized under 15’s!
@umbiloburger: Yes I saw that boy his teammates refer to as “JJ” and was wondering if he would go to u16 trials. He is a machine and really looks like he enjoys rugby. Runs really well with the ball. Must cost his parents a small fortune to feed him
@star: Clifton’s rugby development over the next decade will be interesting. The prep school has produced many many good players (eg Lambie as a recent example) over the years who typically moved on to the private boarding schools or DHS (once upon a time) up the road if boarding school in the midlands didn’t appeal.
IMO the inevitable inability to put out competitive rugby sides in it’s formative years has been Clifton’s one “con” in what is otherwise an appealing offering to a parent considering senior school options.
I suspect that they will go from strength to strength.
@Grasshopper: The bigger of the 2 van der Mescht. He is huge and very athletic. I believe he has scored a try in every match in 2014. I am sure he will be at trials at Glenwood today.
Talking about locks, when I watched Glenwood Under15A play Westville, Glenwood had two massive locks, close to 2m and under15. They were heavy too…..does anyone know who they are?
@ McCulleys- I think the 2nd team lock must be from last years U16A as there was a boy who always towered over our lads. I am glad that NW are starting to find some form and asking questions of so called more fancied opponents. It is not often in the past that House bloggers would ask about the NW team. However is this sustainable. My understanding is that NW would bring in players to improve their ratings which would then have a trickle effect on enrolment and the quality thereof. ie kids from Chelsea and Virginia would consider NW ahead of predominately private schools like Clifton ect. I wonder how the A-team age groups are doing including the surrounding depth. I mention Clifton as they are a direct competitor and seem to be getting their systems on track regarding their prep pupils and others (eg DPHS).
@meadows: Meadows I think it will be a good contest, but facing two 120 kg + props is no easy task, although the one seemed to be a little unfit. They used the big boys to hit the flyhalf channel and tied up the Hilton loose forwards and flyhalf. I think MHS will fair reasonably well and certainly have the backs to beat NW if we play our traditional hand to hand game. I think fitness and defensive lines will count.
@star: The comments were directed at Sean Erasmus. Not Glenwood. i.e. – Sean Erasmus was on the selection committee and for some obscure reason was able to foist his selections on the others who dared not question him. That was the jist of the discourse. People credited him with far more power than he actually had. I saw the current Glenwood coach at a Sharks match at the stadium a week or 2 back. He was in the cheap seats in front of me – not in the president’s box. Makes you think…….
@ Buffel- based on the PBHS form line College by 10. I was impressed with the Kearsney scrummies pass. I am so tired of watching balls being lobbed behind and above players even at Super 15 level. Any momentum is immediately lost.
@GreenBlooded: Had a knock against Clifton and it is just a precaution. We have College on Saturday and will hopefully field a 100% fully fit team.
@McCulleys Workshop: Your thoughts on the MHS pack and how they may fare against NW?
I haven’t seen MHS play this year but they seem to have a competitive side unlike 2013.
@star: As per Beets contentions last year, it seems that our selectors stick to the adage of “A ROAD LESS TRAVELED” if they can watch their own teams and one or two other games, they are well positioned to make decisions. There is no doubt that there has been some form of bias historically, possibly unintentional, and to my mind often favouring MHS, K and GW. Hopefully the HP process helps identify players in grade 11 from various schools and helps to make the circle bigger, and is not just a case of same old.
@GreenBlooded: @star: Blewit showed some good touches with limited possession. The Flyhalf had a pack with go forward ball so hard to really comment. GB, correct, they are playing a very technical game and playing to their strengths. Very hard to contend with the juggernaut for 70 min and no doubt defensive cracks appear in the second half. I also thought the NW loose forwards had good games. Agreed that NW may not lose too many games from here…
@ Greenblooded- what you are saying therefore is that it is a GW issue .( think recently of the ” medic” and JK at KERF) . Why should we be man enough and apologize to man who was knowingly part of a toxic process. Westville have now had 2 props who have made SA U20 while 2 years before were deemed not good enough to make their CW week team. Maybe when you think out aloud you should appreciate the obvious. But this does not just happen in rugby. In the cricket U17 squads there are 15 GW boys. The next best are Kearsney/Westville with 6 apiece. There is just no way to reconcile this.
@Buffel: The Glenwood Show indeed!! I am wondering aloud what the reaction will be if the KZN team has what is perceived to be an over-representation of Glenwood players again this year. For one thing, I hope that the legions of bloggers who have for years demonised Sean Erasmus for this will be man enough to apologise – because without him around anymore it clearly could not have been him.
@McCulleys Workshop: That Northwood tight 5 just has far too many kilowatts!! They are enormous and physical and a team can contain them for only so long before they wear you down. Once your forwards are out on their feet from trying to contain the juggernaut – the fate is sealed. They are also playing a very technical and structured game – clearly the influence of Bashford. They will trip up a few more schools before the season is through…….
@star: Thought Dixon had a good trial and will be in the mix come the 20th.
Today is the Glenwood show. Maybe 1 from Port Natal and the rest from Glenwood.
@Buffel: I understand that Tristan Tedder wasn’t at trials yesterday? Any reason?
@ McCulleys- I am really looking forward to the NW/GW game.
How did Blewit and Weersma( although at flyhalf and a Dutch international) perform as there is a question mark over the KZN outside center position. I watched young James Tedder yesterday and was impressed by some touches and his running lines. I still think he is a W-I-P and will be all the better in a years time from a development perspective.
@ Buffel- I found it easier to predict the Highways team for 2015. How does a tight 5 of Els,NL,Stoltz,Qoma and Dixon sound to you? I am a firm believer that a grade 11 should only be selected if there is daylight between him and the grade 12.( eg TT). Maturity and experience are vital at CW.
@star: I also noticed Eduard Coetzee (the ex Sharks prop) cruising with a walkie talkie so it seems he is involved with Bashford in the turn around of Northwoods rugby.
@star: Watched the Hilton Northwood game. The talked about Nwood front row was large, but not sure they are all CW material, possibly one of the props (the fitter one!) but what amazed me was the size of their 2nd team lock, one of the bigger locks I’ve seen in KZN for a few years. From the 20 minutes I watched he didn’t shirk the hard yards either.
@GreenBlooded: I think you are being a little generous but the KC boys are up for the game. At age group level College have had the upper hand but so too did Westville over KC and we know what happened this year. The only boy with Goldstones experience is Tristan Tedder so I think this could be a big factor.
We have 3 Big games in College, MHS and the last one Glenwood and if the boys can be on the positive side then this will have been one hell of a season for a side that was written off before it all began.
@Buffel: Even money on the Goldstones clash – perhaps College by a short-head due to home ground advantage. How do you see it? Difficult one to call no?
@kcob: Baby steps. By the way, KC play College this weekend so a lot of rugby between now and next Tuesday.
Buffel; glad boys well; BUT, long way to go. Two more sets of trials and lots if compo for each position. It’s going to tough selecting this year. For some reason though I think KZN have a really good chance at CW.
Good luck all the boys. Will Beet post the list for next Tuesdays trials?
@Tigger: Totally agree with all your points. I was at Glenwood in that era, not great rugby-wise but excellent in other sports like athletics where we won the D&D I think 8 times in a row and also did the athletics and swimming double. It was our bleakest period for rugby though. I agree TK’s job and other heads jobs are crazy, but it no more difficult than running a big business as MD or CEO, they get compensated for the extra pressures. I still think if Glenwood can stop recruitment post grade 8 or 9, they will be seen as operating with good morals. Currently some actions are a bit iffy and questionable….
Just comeback fom the trials and the Kearsney boys did very well indeed. Looking forward to the announcment of the Highway side.
@Beet: Well, I look forward to tomorrow then
Have hardly seen any Durban schools rugby as been stuck in the Cape for work, so will be very interesting to see the make up of your particular team and who has been playing well
@star: It’s easy enough saying why certain players should be selected coz it’s based on positives but a lot harder justifying why others should not.
Before your list gets too long I want you to recall two names: Mxoli and Ellse and build the reality from there. What happened to them after school vs what happened to them at trials.
A few months ago I wanted to blog the names of the u18 HP players and it was suggested to me that it might create the wrong impression because players not invited still stood a chance, so with all the compo in various positions this year, hopefully trials will be used to decide who are the form players and / or who fits the designs best, select them and take it from there.
Anyway I will blog my team by tomorrow and hopefully it will incentive excluded players to play even better at trials and make a mockery of it.
@ Beet- when guys do not want to” haal uit en wys” there is usually a very good reason.
From Westville’s side I think Heystek, Braithwaite and W.Smith warrant serious consideration. Fringe contenders would include Thomas,Meilhon,Buthelezi,Qoma and Erasmus.
@RBugger- when Beet emails you his selection I trust you will know what to do.
@beet: Come on Beet lets see your cw team your input will be appreciated.
@RBugger: I will email you as I have not replied to you on the last one yet 8)
@Beet: Come on Beet, let’s see your team – it is just an oponion and generally causes great debate on this site – let’s see it…
@Grasshopper: Thanks for your post, you do raise some interesting points, however what one would like to achieve in theory is not always possible from a practical point of view. The reality is that success breeds success. If someone feels that Glenwood is soley a rugby school, which I am not suggesting YOU are, then that person actually needs to research the matter thoroughly and discover what amazing wide sporting, cultural and educational opportunities are offerred and are achieved at Glenwood. Yes, Rugby has been focussed on as one of the the primary sporting activities of the school, but I don’t see that the results of the other activities suffer significantly. As I said previously success breeds succeess and there is a significant amount of proof of this happening at Glenwood. It actually surprises me sometimes how they manange to achive the widespread results that they do with the limited financial resources that they have. Unfortunately we have seen what the educational biased emphasis can do to a school like Glenwood’s sport. I recall a new Headmaster at Glenwood proclaiming that Glenwood’s sole reason for existence was not to beat College at rugby. While that statement is completely true, and at that stage the academic side of things did need some serious attention, my personal opinion is that this was at the expense of the school’s sporting prowess, particularly rugby, and that the same results in the academic arena could have been achieved without the expense of the sporting codes. I am not a teacher or employed at the school, so what do I know? Only what I hear and observe. Its interesting that it appears that none of the leading schools in KZN, and for that matter the rest of the country, have decreased their emphasis in sport, significantly and especially in rugby. When I was a scholar, I always admired College, in what seemed to me to be their approach to things and I think its what has contributed to making them a great South African School. To me their approach seemed to be, it does not matter what you endeavouring to do whether in the academic, sporting or cultural fields, give of your utmost best and never give up. I think that WILL to succeed got them through some tough encounters and enabled them to excel against weaker oponents on the sporting field and in the academic and cultural spheres. Of course they did appear to go off the boil a bit but their long record speaks for itself. I think that Glenwood have picked up on that same philosophy and I believe it has produced the results – that never give up spirit of resilience. I for one would not be a Headmaster into days enviroment. To try and get the balance right must be, at least, a daunting task. Again, in my humble opinion, I think that the powers that be at Glenwood are getting more than a few things right and I support them 110 %.
@seabass: I agree Seabass, I’m too afraid to publish my own CW team out of fear for hurting feelings but Peter is in it as a wing. He covers the fullback position and if absolute necessary can play 13 as well. He is a wonderful stepper with good ball skills. He missed the Clifton game.
Quick update on the North Durban u18 trials. More depth than in the last couple of years with the stand out player being the DHS fullback, Peter, a real talent and CW contender.
@GreenBlooded: For info, when Westville send half the school on a sports tour (such as this weekend to Pretoria) Friday is not a compulsory school day for those boys not involved in the sport. so effectively the sports playing boys do not miss out on any teaching. But your point is understood.
@Bushpig01: As I understand it, the lessons that are missed are Phys Ed (they do enough sport anyway) and LO (which to me is a joke of a subject – they probably learn more life skills on the sports field). None of the core subjects are missed. That was explained to me by a current senior GW master.
Some schools take half of their students across provinces several times a year – College, Westville, KES, PBHS, Affies, Grey etc etc – which normally takes the form of a long bus trip which leaves on Friday morning. Do the comments on “missing academics for sport” not apply here too?
@star: I believe that GW have staff that don’t coach sport and who have the responsibility of taking classes after school for boys that attend their sports academies. The academic curriculum is supplied by the department (I hope) and the balancing act between the sport and class time I believe is managed thoroughly. If a boy has Maths or science in those slots then apparently they may not miss those classes. I am sure that TK and TP keep a handle on the situation.
Glenwood have had a couple of shady incidents but people are often far too quick to see them as sole culprits. Amazing what bad publicity can do. DHS were in exactly the same situation as them with the overage story but how many people see DHS in the same light? If I’m not mistaken every school in the province has players in their current first xvs, barring Kearsney I think, that weren’t there in grade 9/10? Very easy to jump on a bandwagon (I have done it too) when little is known about what actually transpires behind the scenes. Glenwood is a great school and didn’t get to be one of the top sporting and academic institutions in Natal by luck.
@star: @Grasshopper: @Bushpig01: To be fair. I know of 3 schools with a similar arrangement with their top sportsmen/sports teams. This is not a phenomenon that is exclusive to Glenwood.
@Bushpig01: Not to say you were attempting to bash GW or anything
@Bushpig01: Yep, I am aware of that and FYI I didn’t write that story, found it on Facebook. I think when 1st rugby players start to fail then it will become an issue but I think 99.9% pass so the school and the kids parents more importantly don’t see issue with it. In the end the parents have to agree to these things..
To me it is all about balance. You must be able to look back on your school days with pride. I want my son to be in a competitive environment, where there is a winning culture( but not at all costs) and where he has the opportunity to express himself at a high level( whether at festivals/tours, national champs) .The choice must however be his and he must grow in the process. Academics should be part of the holistic program and the focus not on the end result but the journey. After all it is the memories and friendships that he will carry forward which will be an integral part of his life story. Getting a bit sentimental I know but I am entering the time of the 50th celebrations and it forces you to pause a bit and reflect.
However where kids are pulled from academic studies to do more gym work to enhance the IST teams rugby chances then the balance has been shattered and the kids become nothing more than pawns in short term power plays. Quality school management should be forever vigilant and understand it is a short slip into the abyss.
@Grasshopper: I’m not so sure Glenwood is as holistic is you think. Did you know they take their top sportsmen out of their school lessons to attend their academy in the morning?
These boys miss vital teaching time and are then given “tutors” to help them in the evenings. These “tutors” are merely other school boys who are good at the subject, not trained professionals that can teach the subject/topic clearly.
Fine idea for the short term benefit of the school (or Trio as you accurately put them) and the boy is very keen as he thinks he is the next superstar, but not too great for their education in the long run (varsity, etc).
@umbiloburger: I’ll be there at the dinner….my first in 17 years since I left. I have of course been to the school many times inbetween to watch rugga. I’m sure lots of good is being done, but that is expected….it’s the other dodgy behaviors that are not eg recruitment etc…..TK & co probably hate me because I ask questions but as an OB and potential parent I have the right to ask…
@Grasshopper: how nice it would be if old boys really new what was going on at their schools!!! Instead of writing the negative and sometimes destructive comments, go in and visit the school, ask the right people the questions you need answered and you may be in for a surprise. I look forward to the GW Old Boys dinner. It’s going to be real eye opener to some.
@Grasshopper: Absolutely. Glenwood, Wynberg and many others would be included in that group. Never mentioned Glenwood once?
In fact I don’t believe it is the fault of any school that the state of education is in the dwang as such. Yes it is easy to criticize the government but I for one just feel very strongly about the fact that boys are not being prepared adequately in the classroom. Let them be on the sports fields. Sport, and rugby in particular, is actually one of the very few aspects I think the school development structures succeed in empowering and educating young men proficiently enough to cope in a competitive environment after school.
@rbw1863: Glenwood luckily is one of the holistic schools, everyone wrongly assumes Glenwood is rugby focused when in fact they are strong at hockey, athletics, cricket, chess, tennis, squash, baseball/softball, swimming etc. They are not too bad at academics too, not a wealthy extra lesson student base that Westville has but still good.
@Grasshopper: I understand your points and you do make some interesting ones. In my opinion however the school sport scene is in a better condition than the education system. And yes in specific cases this may be due to a school placing more focus on sport. BUT if you look at the schools that consistently excel in the spheres of sport, not just rugby (Grey, Affies, KES, Westville etc) their academic and cultural excellence go hand in hand with their sporting prowess.
The education system at the moment is narrow minded and in my honest opinion not preparing students adequately for after school. A subject like life orientation sounds glorious, but at the end of the day is an hour of the week that takes a back seat to other subjects and has little to do with what it’s title purports and orientate kids for the challenges of life after school.
In the greater scheme of things the schools that place a heavy emphasis on their schools rugby results are the ones that have the structures in place for boys to be a part of a system and realise they are a small fish in a big pond. For a youngster leaving school now, the job market is not the same as it was 20 years ago. The quicker they can adapt to life after school the more chance they have of success. At the moment the education department is doing very little to help prepare matric learners in this regard. That is what makes great schools great, not rugby results. But if they can do this and still maintain a high level of sporting excellence, why not brag?
Please don’t think this is me attacking what you said as you have made some very valid arguments. But I think there are more important issues than the professionalism of schoolboy rugby in the schools system at the moment.
@Grasshopper:
@Grasshopper: Good points made there. Very important for the School to keep the balance right. School is there for a reason and that is to receive a holistic education wich includes the correct mixture of Academics, Culture and Sport…
And Glenwood is a culprit of this ego building too!
@Grasshopper: And while we are busy streamlining and altering a system that worked for a decades. Why have language as a subject, mean you learn to speak at home so there goes all languages. Then what about maths. Who uses maths at work anymore? We have computers doing that for us. Away with maths. And so on and so on. Now that we have the whole school day empty let us start adding subjects. Gossiping will be an essential part of all female learners. Shall we give them a two hour lesson in the art of gossiping? The boys on the other hand must learn how to drink, alcohol, meaning everybody these days have a snort or ten after work, at work or at home. And most important of all sex. What is a marraige without good sex – disaster. So rather than building classrooms build bedrooms, waterbeds, mirrors on the ceilings an toys.
Shit man leave the system as is BUT remember to much of a good thing is not good, apart from that s^% thing. BALANCE is the golden word.
Perhaps we should consider what other countries do the following:
Schools teach academic subjects and clubs coach sport.
This means that you concentrate on academics at school (bursaries dwindle) and the clubs grow and become healthy – everyone wins.
But then some egos would be damaged.
@Grasshopper: Hear Hear !!!
@Grasshopper: Preach on!!!
Great piece found on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/RugbyACauseGoneWrong/posts/863816280301121?fref=nf
Having played this year for my 39 consecutive year in rugby, having played at representative level, been a coach and senior administrator in provincial circles for many years and now a parent for 16 years, I am guessing, this entitles me to an opinion on school boy sport.
If one considers that only less than one percent of all school leavers continue in formalised sport, post matric, it highlights how relatively unimportant sport is, in the greater scheme of life skills developed at school. It has however become increasingly important for the schools, coaches and parents (The Trio) to produce results. The Trio talk this up the whole time. This pressure is brought to bear on easy influenced and willing-to-please young minds. These young minds sell their souls to please the Trio and will spend many hours attempting to perfect their respective games to please the Trio. It is not uncommon for a 1st team rugby player to have a morning gym session, afternoon practice and a further gym session in the evening during pre season training. A player could spend 3-4 hours a day concentrated on his sport in order to appease the Trio. Not only is the time taken away from learning other life skills but the time after exercise, is rarely productive as the student is usually quite exhausted. The Trio place such pressure on these impressionable minds that many turn to pharmaceuticals to get an edge. South Africa has the highest reported steroid abuse at schoolboy level and this is as a direct result of the environment the Trio have created. Enough!
One has to consider the value these many wasted hours may have if they were directed to a more deserving life skill that will be required beyond matric. 99% of the school leavers would benefit from this long term approach. The Trio however place a disproportionate amount of effort to “assist” the 1% of students that may continue to play sport beyond matric. This focus is entirely narcissistic and created to pander to the ego of the Trio. Could some of this time not be spent in improving our academic education? There is no cry of concern over what the long term impact this dedicated myopia will have on an individual child’s life.
The Trio are not capable of independent thinking. It is a three headed monster and none have the power to control the other. The school hides behind the fact they need to attract students and sport is seen as an obvious marketing tool. The schools have to “win” on the sports field. They don’t believe that a well run sports faculty giving the boys the best they can provide with the resources they have is sufficient. Parents wish to “brag” about the success of their son’s schools. They wish to play one-upmanship with their colleagues and actually do believe that a good school is a school that wins at sport. Coaches are thus employed and their employment is dependent on their success. At no stage is any consideration given as to what constitutes a good education for their pupils or sons. Taken aside and spoken to individually, both schools and parents agree that the over zealous approach to sport is detrimental to true education. But in the public eye they wish to continue the bragging rights and forfeit our kids’ education in pursuit of this goal.
We have Old Boys banding together to pay for professional coaches, who can demand salaries in excess of the Heads of Departments. This sends a clear message to the importance of what a good education is worth in their eyes. It may seem obvious yet no one stands up and says STOP! We continue to build the hype around first team school sport. The current year is so important to the Trio, they cannot see the years ahead for the individuals whose life skills and educational opportunities they have curtailed. These individuals (99% of them) enter the working world having had a compromised education as a result of the Trio wishing to claim bragging points. It has been good for the 1% of sports people who go on to seek a career in sport and the Trio use this to justify their actions.
There is a definite balance required in school sport, as sport is an essential part of any kids maturity. It introduces certain life skills like team-work and leadership. HOWEVER when winning becomes more important to schools coaches and parents, we have failed our duties to responsibly educate our children.
The shame is not in losing, the shame is depriving our youth of key resources to prepare them better for life after school by pandering to these egos. I think the time is right to begin the change and focus on the key issues of what a school should provide. It should provide an education and life skills to prepare our youth for the future. Being a steroid induced 125kg front ranker at age 18 is not an education.
The problem is how to reverse this issue and it is not an easy solution. We need to encourage schools to understand that if they only have 500 boys there is no shame in being beaten by a school that has 1500 boys, the numbers will always count. As long as we equip the boys appropriately there should be no expectation to win. It will be a close contest amongst schools of similar sizes. Some will win and some will lose.
The parents are the most difficult to change as they are key in driving this malaise forward. We need to encourage our peers not to participate in this tree-pissing competition. If they mention how well their school is doing in the rugby rankings, ask questions about their matric pass rate or numbers of “A’s” per matriculant. If they run around bragging about little Johnny’s 1st team selection, enquire about his academic performance and whether he will get a post school education. This may soon focus them to life after school and why their kid is really at school. In order to educate our kids correctly it is important to spread the word.
Each parent, school teacher and coach needs to answer these questions. Is it in the individual’s best interest to waste all those hours preparing for sport when in reality he is hardly likely to have a sporting career? Is the child getting the best education he can get when the pressure to perform at sport is overwhelming?
Changing the mindset is in our hands and if you wish your children to be better prepared for life after school, make a positive statement about the role of sport required in school. It is a life skill but it is not THE life skill.