THE HISTORY BEHIND THE INVESTEC INTERNATIONAL RUGBY ACADEMY

MEDIA RELEASE
20 July 2012

After the dramatic 2007 Super 14 rugby final between the Sharks and Vodacom Bulls, the then Sharks coach Dick Muir was invited to attend an International Rugby course hosted in New Zealand by Murray Mexted to share his knowledge and vision with other top coaches on the global game moving forward. Thus began his journey to the International Rugby Academy New Zealand (IRANZ) and the subsequent launch of the franchise in South Africa.

After guiding his team to the top of the log finish in Super 14 in 2007 and to the final, where they suffered an agonisingly narrow 20-19 defeat, Dick Muir set himself a new challenge. Having attended the International Rugby Academy in New Zealand the former Sharks player and coach was able to share his knowledge and in turn learn from rugby’s greats. Having attended the IRA, Muir realised that the platform to share and exchange knowledge was one that was much needed in South Africa and thus began the process to establish a South African based academy. He and Murray Mexted franchised the blueprint of all that IRANZ had built over the last decade and then developed a coaching manual and business model Investec shared the vision of being part of South Africa's first High Performance Rugby Academy and they entered into an agreement to become the naming rights sponsor of the Investec International Rugby Academy in 2009.

Muir’s aim was to create a platform for players and coaches to learn from specialists in the fields of rugby, technology, sports medicine and mental toughness which would inevitably lead to improvements in their game both as a coach and a player. The first course took place at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria and proved to be an instant hit among the attendees including the likes of Sean Fitzpatrick, Frans Ludeke, Nick Farr-Jones, Breyton Paulse, Gary Gold and Murray Mexted. Not only did the coaches share their knowledge and experiences, but 16 of the 26 players in attendance, went on to feature for their respective clubs in the 2009 Absa Currie Cup competition.

Former Springbok loosehead prop Os du Randt said information sharing initiatives in rugby were non-existent prior to the introduction of IIRA,
“This creates a great platform for former players to pass on their experiences and knowledge to coaches and players.”

Using the blueprint of its franchisor, the Investec International Rugby Academy has carefully designed each of its courses for the level of coaching needed at specific levels. As the game constantly evolves, the academy team engages the services of current franchise and national coaches John Plumtree (Sharks), Johan Ackermann (Lions), Louis Koen (Springboks) and Pieter de Villiers (Springboks prop coach) amongst many other who provide detailed information about rugby techniques and trends, sports medicine research, technology and sports psychology.

On the course, the participants are taken through an intense two-week programme that covers physical and mental skills and training, rugby intelligence modules, detailed position-specific attention and analysis, identification of players’ strengths and weaknesses and team coaching. The coaches on the other hand are put through their paces in a 10-day course that tackles professional coaching tactics and preparation, team structures and motivation. Also covered is the juggling of running high performance players and coaches’ courses in tandem, mentoring of position-specific specialists and analysing players in their respective positions.

Over the course of three years, the Investec International Rugby Academy has created an institution for aspiring coaches to grow in rugby structures starting from schools to the professional sporting bodies. For the players there can be no better experience than to learn about their specific positions from former international stars and the world’s best national and franchise coaches.

The Investec International Rugby Academy is completely independent of any unions and prides itself in its cutting edge techniques, latest trends and information in the rugby world, which serves to benefit each player and or coach attending the academy. Since its launch, the academy team have watched its attendees excel at the highest levels, most recently at the 2012 IRB Junior World Championships hosted by South Africa. Five players who attended courses at the academy had gone on to make their mark in the international scene and were selected to represent their countries – Australia, Scotland and South Africa at the Championship last month.

Back home, Dean Muir who has just been signed by Border for their Currie Cup campaign this year, was sponsored by Quantum Investment to attend the academy last year. “It was one of the most memorable and enjoyable rugby outings I’ve ever had. I learnt how to play positive rugby and the course improved my physical and mental approaches to the game as well. I don’t think I would be where I am today or be playing the style of rugby I am playing had it not been for my attendance at the Investec International Rugby Academy. As rugby players we tend to spend most of our time working out in gym and on the rugby field and we forget to strengthen our mental side, I’m truly grateful for my experiences at the Academy for conditioning all aspects of my game. It’s amazing that three weeks at the Academy changed my game, my mind and my rugby future.”

Having achieved great success in recent years, the academy has also recognised that while South Africa proudly boasts an immense talent pool of rugby players many just can’t afford to attend its courses, which is why the team embarked on a scholarship/corporate funding programme. With scholarship providers including Primedia, Mr Price, Absa Bank, Esri South Africa, Bell Equipment, @lantic, USN, KFC and Compass Group supporting the Scholarship programme, the academy will be able to achieve its goal of fast tracking the right players to a host of unions, clubs and franchises in South Africa whilst also playing a part in the development of the future Springboks.

Through the scholarship programme, the academy receives funding for two players per annum to attend the Academy but the team would ultimately like to get 30 scholarships annually which would benefit 60 young players to attend the Academy based on merit and potential rather than by just being able to afford to attend the courses. Two USN-sponsored players who attended the Academy last year benefited tremendously from their practical and theoretical training when they were selected to represent the Baby Boks this year.

While catering to the demand for high performance rugby tuition in South Africa, the Investec International Rugby Academy provides an ideal platform for aspiring youngsters to develop their talent and skills in a hands-on approach that enables them to interact with some of the best and most renowned current and former rugby players of our era.