LONG READ Culture, schooling and community supercharge the SA rugby conveyor belt

South Africa’s depth is the envy of the rugby world. More than 200 South African players compete across elite overseas leagues such as the Premiership, Top 14, Japan League One and Major League Rugby, while twice as many are involved in the lower tiers.

In spite of the ongoing exodus, local franchises have remained competitive in tournaments such as Super Rugby and the United Rugby Championship – with the Stormers and Bulls advancing to the inaugural final of the latter competition.

While form and results fluctuate at the elite level, South Africa’s production line is unfailingly consistent. The schools as well as SA Rugby’s Elite Performance Development programme routinely produce athletes with the physical and mental aptitude to succeed in professional rugby.

“There’s no question in my mind that the South African schools set-up is the most professional in the world,” says former Springbok and Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer. “I’ve coached in England and France, and I’m now involved in the United States, and I can tell you that the system in South Africa is a class apart.”

For a long time, there were a handful of schools that were widely acknowledged as bona fide South African rugby factories. 

Paul Roos Gymnasium tops the all-time list for Springboks produced (54) while three other Western Cape institutions – Bishops Diocesan College, South African College Schools (SACS) and Paarl Gymnasium – feature in the top five. Grey College in Bloemfontein ranks second on the list (46).

SPRINGBOKS BY SCHOOL (ALL-TIME)

The fall of apartheid and a move towards professionalism led to monumental changes across the various levels of South African rugby. Since 1992, more has been done to harness the talent in the black and mixed-race communities – which comprises approximately 90% of the total population.

More schools have hired professional coaches and implemented high-performance programmes, and the schoolboy rugby scene has become fiercely competitive as a result. At present, there isn’t a great deal separating the top 20 schools teams in the country.

Local communities have played their part in creating a game-day atmosphere similar to that of a club derby. Many of the big match-ups are televised. Teenagers are competing in front of big crowds on a regular basis. The annual derby between Paarl Boys’ High and Paarl Gymnasium has to be staged at the town’s Faure Street Stadium in order to accommodate some 20,000 passionate fans.

Alex Shaw, Ealing Trailfinders’ head of recruitment, recently travelled to South Africa to visit a few schools and unions. He explains why the situation is very different to what many experience in England.

“What struck me was the atmosphere at the games,” he says. “I went to the Easter festivals and it was incredible to witness the level of support.

“It’s very different up in England, where you don’t have the same level of community support and involvement. The old boys don’t get behind the school teams like they do in South Africa. 

“School matches are big community events down south, and you see major companies like Mercedes sponsoring tents and so on. It all fuels the idea that representing your school 1st XV is an achievement in itself.”

During his successful tenure with the Bulls, Meyer followed the schoolboy rugby scene closely and recruited young stars from around the country for the Pretoria-based franchise’s programme. He is well aware of how the local culture contributes to player development.

“Rugby is just so massive in South Africa, and it’s for this reason that players start as young as six or seven playing mini-rugby,” he says. 

“You could say that our players aren’t as skillful as those in New Zealand at high school level, but the competition among our youngsters forces them to develop other qualities.”

After coaching the Bulls and Boks, Meyer enjoyed stints at Leicester Tigers and Stade Francais. He is currently the director of rugby at the Houston Sabercats in the USA. 

Having been exposed to a wide variety of systems at club and national level, Meyer is well placed to make a comparison. 

“New Zealand has some excellent schools. Where that system is particularly strong, however, is in the period between school and professional rugby. 

England has some great rugby schools, but the focus is very different in that they prepare the players for the various academies. Overall, these countries don’t have school systems with the same professional mindset as South Africa

Heineken Meyer, former Springboks coach

“The kids in France take up rugby very late, in that they only start coming together at clubs and academies in their late teens. The success of their junior side at the World Rugby U20 Championship, and of the national side in the recent Six Nations, shows that they are getting a lot right – but they don’t have the same school structures like we do in South Africa. 

“England has some great rugby schools, but the focus is very different in that they prepare the players for the various academies. Overall, these countries don’t have school systems with the same professional mindset as South Africa.

After playing 43 Tests for the Boks, Pieter Rossouw made a successful transition into coaching. He worked with the Bulls and Namibia, before taking up a post as Paarl Gymnasium’s director of rugby in 2016.

“We have an unbelievably good school system in South Africa that is built on heritage and tradition, and inherently we are a very competitive nation,” Rossouw says. 

“Think about how that comes together on a Saturday, where we have thousands of people around the field watching a school game. The old boys are heavily invested, which adds another edge. The players have ample motivation. Perhaps it’s this atmosphere that prepares the players for what’s to come at the pro level.

“Rugby is a professional game nowadays, and maybe kids are working a lot harder for the opportunity to make a career out of it. It takes a lot of hard work to earn a university or provincial union contract. From the outset, the players are working towards the chance to play in front of a big crowd at school.”

Grey College head coach Jannie Geldenhuys agrees with Meyer and Rossouw on the matter of coaches and professional programmes transforming the schoolboy scene. 

The set-up was well resourced when Geldenhuys represented the Grey 1st XV back in 2007. That said, there has been further progress in recent years. 

“Most of the teachers coached the top teams in the old days,” Geldenhuys says. “We still have a good mix of teachers involved in our programme today, but there are more professional coaches in the mix than ever before. 

“You want that expertise to be passed down from former players to the boys. Former Boks like prop Wian du Preez and centre Helgard Muller are part of the set-up, and we believe that the knowledge that’s passed on will equip our boys to be better players.”

A more professional approach is not limited to South Africa’s traditional powerhouses. For example, one of Grey’s rivals in Bloemfontein, HTS Louis Botha, has produced six Boks since 1992, including Ox Nché and Joseph Dweba. Around the country, schools have invested more heavily to improve their rugby programmes.

SPRINGBOKS BY SCHOOL (POST-1992)

“There are more schools competing at a high level these days, and that is great to see,” says Geldenhuys, who goes on to stress that the talent in South Africa isn’t limited to a few regions around the traditional schools or the country’s franchises. 

“If you look at where many of the great players come from, it’s not from the big cities. A lot of them are from the rural areas. A lot of them didn’t go to the top schools. 

“Now that we have more schools who have the resources to offer good rugby programmes, we have the potential to produce more quality rugby players across the board.

“That is only going to strengthen South African rugby in the long run. It certainly has strengthened schoolboy rugby. Right now we have a situation where any of the top 20 schools can beat one another on any given day. That speaks to the quality of the players.”

So how does SA Rugby ensure that the age-group teams, the franchises and the Boks benefit from this outstanding resource?

Geldenhuys highlights another major change that was made in 2015, when SA Rugby implemented its Elite Player Development (EPD) programme.

SA Rugby monitors players over the course of a five-year cycle, which begins provincially at U15 level and nationally at U16 level. The best of these players go on to represent the Junior Boks at the World Rugby U20 Championship, with Damian Willemse is a poster boy for the programme.

“The EPD has made a difference to how the talent is identified and brought through to the next level. There’s a lot of support for the schools, and for individuals who perhaps lack resources. The pathway has been strengthened for the younger players.” 

SA Rugby monitors players over the course of a five-year cycle, which begins provincially at U15 level and nationally at U16 level. The very best of these players go on to represent the Junior Boks at the World Rugby U20 Championship. 

Springbok utility back Damian Willemse is a poster boy for the programme.

“The EPD programme is driven by SA Rugby in conjunction with the provincial unions to ensure alignment, accurate talent identification and development in each region throughout the country,” says former Springbok flyhalf Louis Koen, who now serves as SA Rugby high performance manager and oversees the EPD programme. 

“Players are nominated by their provincial EPD units, which consist of provincial coaches, selectors and managers who watch the players at school level. Selections are subsequently confirmed by the national structures.

“The SA Schools teams form an integral part of the EPD programme. Selectors consider players who have the potential to represent the Junior Boks in subsequent years, and individuals who display an aptitude for international rugby in the long term.”

In the recent series staged in Paarl, the SA U18 team claimed two wins against England and one against France to finish the campaign unbeaten. The depth of the group was evident when SA U18A – the second-string lineup – pushed England and France close over the course of the week.

The plan to harness South Africa’s schoolboy talent and strengthen the pipeline to senior rugby is certainly working. The role the individual schools have to play, of course, is crucial.

“It’s frustrating when you see that, and I hope something will eventually be done to remedy the situation,” says Rossouw. 

“When you see the effort that goes into developing the players at school level, the lengths the schools and coaches go to…. in some cases, the kids can’t afford to pay for board or tuition and a plan needs to be made through a private donor or old boy. The player is developed by the school, and eventually goes on to win a pro contract. That’s great, but in many cases, none of that money comes back into the system. 

“In football, an academy that develops a player is entitled to some form of reimbursement. It would be great if rugby followed suit, as the schools could put that money back into their structures and development programmes – and ultimately that would strengthen the entire system. 

“There’s a lot of red tape, though, as unless you are an academy, you aren’t entitled to that sort of reimbursement. I’m optimistic that this will change in the future, and that a strong system will become even stronger.”

Grey College has produced the likes of Cobus Reinach and Frans Steyn, World Cup-winners who remain a part of the national team. Other alumni have gone on to represent foreign clubs and countries – with Lappies Labuschagne playing for Japan at the recent global tournament.

NOTABLE SA-BORN PLAYERS WHO REPRESENTED OTHER NATIONS (SINCE 2012)

Geldenhuys believes that both scenarios are positive results for the school.

Meyer agrees that the players succeeding in foreign climes should be celebrated rather than derided, and that the schools and structures responsible for their development should receive due praise.

While the ongoing exodus – largely influenced by the socio-economic situation in South Africa – is a concern, the schoolboy conveyor belt will continue to deliver talent. According to Meyer, the current system will ensure that South Africa, rather than other nations, makes the most of the resource.

“As far as South Africans representing other nations is concerned… that’s sport. You are never going to keep all your players, and if you think about how many players are competing across schoolboy rugby in South Africa, you are never going to keep them all in the country – especially if there are other avenues to professional rugby.

“The benefit of the current system is that the national coach is – more often than not – getting first pick of the best players. If you keep 10 and lose one, that is a good outcome.”

We may be a small country in the grand scheme of things, but we still manage to make a big impact across the world of sports

Pieter Roussouw, 43-cap Springbok

“Most schools will preach about the balance between academics and sport – and rugby is not always the priority. Even though the set up is more professional these days, you also have a responsibility to teach the players about more than the game. You want to implement values that will help them succeed in all walks of life.

“South African players are known the world over for their work ethic. That’s why French and Italian clubs recruit so many South African players, as they know that these individuals won’t go to Europe at the end of their careers just to pick up a paycheque; they know that these players won’t shirk the hard graft. It’s fair to say that this appetite for hard work is instilled at a young age. 

“We may be a small country in the grand scheme of things, but we still manage to make a big impact across the world of sports,” Rossouw adds. “Think about how many golfers succeed at the highest level on a regular basis, or how our cricket players perform in leagues around the world, or how our swimmers and athletes fared at the recent Commonwealth Games. We have some great structures down here, but we are particularly blessed in terms of our culture.”

CURRENT SPRINGBOK SQUAD BY SCHOOL