Schools vs Club Rugby- which is tougher?

As the rugby season has now closed and I reflect on my workings with numerous sides, I pose a question as to whether schools rugby is in fact the closest you will get to professionalism in some ways. On numerous rugby sites, recent articles on schools rugby have drawn far more comment than those on club or lower professional outfits. Obviously this alone does not make the game tougher, but it is an indicator as to how much pressure these youngsters are put under when representing their schools.

Having witnessed and been involved in both the Paarl ‘interschools’ clash as well as the Bosch/Bishops derbies, it leaves me in no doubt that for some 90% of those players, this is the biggest game they’ll ever play, in terms of people interested and sheer numbers at the ground. A brief look at any FNB classic clash program will show you that many such derbies exist all across the country, and taking a school like Glenwood, they even went to a world schools championships in Japan. The following of schools rugby is without doubt on the rise, and with the advent of improved media, interest is being fuelled. Taking the Varsity Cup out of the equation there is no doubt that the incentive to play club rugby on a cold Wednesday evening in front of 30 people is hardly comparable to a Saturday morning between SACS and Paul Roos for example. In fact the decreasing numbers in club rugby points to this.

But the question I pose, is from a mental and pressure point of view, I believe that schools rugby places far more of a test on the players than club rugby or even low league professional standards. The schools themselves thrive on results as a marketing tool, the coaches are often ultra-competitive and will thus sacrifice a lot to ensure good results, including educational principles and values. At club level, many games are one-sided, the physical intensity may be big but often the mental preparation is minimal and declining membership means the results are less important.

I was reading just the other day of the KES boys getting up twice a week at 5 am for gym sessions. Admirable it may be, but increased pressure it is too. The issue of scholarships was also raised. How does a 14 year old feel, knowing that three different schools are bidding/have bid for his services, and how much pressure does that boy feel at age 16 when he has not quite grown as much as the other boys and the school and his peers become less keen on him due to his decreased rugby impact. Then at u19 level when boys are being approached by all and sundry for a contract/bursary post-school- who is really advising the boy then? In all likelihood his parents will, and I’m not always sure this is the best thing. Many parents will be keen for the boy to take the offer which is most financially attractive, either for them or for the boy, this is just a reality of economic times.

Do we not need to start looking at the mentoring of these future stars, and ways of helping boys cope with the pressures of representing their school sides, as well as looking at ways and means of excelling as a school. You may be thrown in the deep end and asked to swim at club and provincial level, but by that stage you are an adult. At school, you are still young, very impressionable and perhaps not equipped to make the best decisions, and deal with all that is expected of you.

Strive for excellence, offer scholarships, celebrate your wins, but always remember that the pressure these guys are under is huge, and thus we must support and prepare them for what lies ahead for their own benefit and not just the school’s.