Forget Craven Week...We have the talent here.
Printable View
Forget Craven Week...We have the talent here.
What I saw of it in 08, at that age they kick our arses Hansie.
The top six provinces that year at least would hand the same age WA Schools their arses on a plate and probably dacks Qld and NSW Schools while they were at it.
I'm not advocating big numbers, but you could certainly budget in one signing a year without disrupting the local scene potential.
you also get the cream of Zimbabwean Schools rugby playing and theres no doubt we have some great talent up there too :D
found some footage of SA schools rugby..
Michaelhouse vs Grey (Eastern Cape)
[YOUTUBE]5Hh-t0JX3CM[/YOUTUBE]
Jeppe (joburg) vs St Johns (Zim)
[YOUTUBE]KH12NK2cNek[/YOUTUBE]
Michaelhouse v durban high
[YOUTUBE]eia9RAF9EcA[/YOUTUBE]
Absolutely...except they and Namibia got flogged...but the point stands ;)
Participation in SA is huge and we'll never have the numbers. I think Australia already punches well above it's weight.
Our biggest problem is that with lesser numbers, talented players get so much smoke blown up their arse and their guardians/parents get such high ambitions that soon they become Big fish in a small pond. They then listen to unscrupulous clubs and coaches promising immediate Premier Grade positions, to then realise it's quite hard work and they are suddenly small injured fish in a big pond.
I think it would be cheaper to send our Div 1 WA Schools team to Craven Week than to Sydney. Flights would be higher in cost, but accomodation, food, internal travel would be a fraction of the price. The boys would see how big a pond it really is at a young age.
I don't know about instead of, but would be a fantastic exposure to be able to get a team there, even if only as unofficial fixtures during the week or leading up to. No idea how the dates line up though.
I really was impressed by the standard and maturity of the comp in 2008, was probably more professional (that doesn't mean "better") than WA Premier in my opinion.
Not suggesting they would beat WA Premier sides, size would probably balance it out alone, but the approach to the task was very impressive.
In my past life as PSA 1st XV coach we hosted Kearsney College and Michaelhouse over the space of 4 years. Due to age difference we had to populate our 1st XV team with a few old boys to make sure all were over 17. We lost on both occassions but not by much. Similarly I took a team to SA and we played Clifton college, Fairview in Cape Town, some mob in Stellebosch that were up themselves ,the KwazuluNatal Zebras U 18, and a coloured school in the township.
The coloured boys- some of whom had their kids watching from the sidelines in prams and claimed to be under 18 looked a lot older. Certainly not up against the top Schools, we won all our games. Got battered in the scrums and a few mauls and more than enough big tackles, but ball handling, fitness and smarter play by our boys won the day.
I believe Uni under 20's and Soaks U20's from last year would give all of the 1st XV Schools a good game and my tip would be they would win more than they would lose.
From those clips I can tell you from experience the Top Aus Schools would be very competitive. WA Junior Rugby is still developing but you underestimate how seriously the big Rugby Schools take the game over here. Take the top 4 NSW and Qld teams and play the top 8 SA schools and you'd have a really competitive tournament.
In fact. I'd wager the Hills Sports High 1st XV would give most of those packs an absolute belting. Had a pack about 30kg heavier than the Tahs last year.
No doubt.. But thats not the point.... Rugby is the main winter sport for at least 14 high schools in. Zimbabwe and 5 times that many if not more in SA.
Posted via Mobile Device
You're in the right direction Zim.. It's a numbers game. I remember a few years Schalk Burger snr. telling me his son had to compete against 20 specialist blindside loosies for a spot in the Boks. Some of the best loosies were not necessarlity tied up with the S14 sides but still playing in other currie cup sides. he compared the situation with Rocky only really having to compete against 4 or 5 for his Wallaby jersey.
It's very simplistic but adds a dimension to the argument of finding and keeping talent.
Have experienced the competiveness of Schools Rugby in the East and totally agree it is far higher than in WA, no doubt. Arguably no more committed player for player, just far more of them and depth brings competition which brings a higher skill base. Joey's and others having Yr 8 7th XV's and the like while PSA scratch for two teams per year group. The point is that SA (and NZ) have far more "Joey's" than Australia does and so the same argument proves out, more players = more depth = more competition = higher skill base.
The original discussion was regarding Craven Week though, which should be compared to our State Schoolboys not individual schools, and a look at the results there show far more contenders for bragging rights (no actual final) than the usual NSW I v Qld I that is the situation in the majority of years in Australia.
Not sure if five overweight kids and a handy Backrow mean they can control that lard and be competitive over 80 minutes?
Until they announced that monster pack last year the school was rarely mentioned in despatches and didn't hear any rave reviews at the business end of the season?
The thing is we have at the very least 24( GPS, CAS and ISA 2 Div, QLD GPS, TAS and AIC) really committed programs on the East Coast alone without adding in the likes of Canberra Marist and St Edmund's. I have seen schoolboy teams from around the world come (including SA) and play them only to be dispatched. It's a question of quality over quantity in my opinion. For all their depth there are still an elite echelon of Rugby Schools in SA the same as here in Australia and New Zealand for that matter.
As for Hills. They gave St Augustine a belting in a trial match and Newington (last years NSWGPS Champs) refused to play them. Their forwards can last the full 70min in Schoolboys. They play in CHS which is a little disjointed at times which makes it hard to really here any buzz from them. Here's some info though. The School has been setup as the NSWRU's Western Sydney development base, so expect them to really grow. Additionally, having attended a school where sport was a serious business and with the Hills being a Sports High School those boys are no slouches.