South Africa over the last 5 years has changed dramatically with how they are nurturing their grass roots rugby program. The money is flowing through the schools so much so that the top coaches have been lured away from professional clubs and the top club teams. I find it hard to imagine that coaches you would expect to see coaching top professional teams are now coaching school boy players instead. This is good news for the future of rugby in South Africa and is a wake up call for other countries to get their grass root programs on track.
The money being spent by the top 200 schools is off the charts as they are being run exactly the same way as if they were professional teams. Schools don't just have a top coach earning more than those around the world in a similar position with a professional club but also have a list of back room staff earning the top dollars.
Strength and conditioning coaches along with nutritionists are preparing the school boy players for when they turn professional. Not all of the 4000 school boys will make it to the top level but even if 10% make the grade that is 400 players being added to the fold each year who know what it takes to make it as a professional sports player.
Back in the days when I was still playing rugby we had a far smaller pool of talent and relied on the amateur club system to feed the provincial teams. We had maybe 20 clubs in each province where the top players were selected from and new blood was not necessarily flowing into the game each year. In my club we had 5 Springboks and 4 Scottish International players and when they were away playing for their national teams we felt their absence by not having huge depth to fill the void.
Rugby clubs will be spoiled for choice with the constant flow of boys leaving their school teams and joining the adult rugby teams. The standards rising are going to be very noticeable and not just by a little, but this is unprecedented and unmatched by other countries around the world. The level of competition for places is going to see multiple players in every position in each province.
Having rugby players coached by professionals from a young age is a game changer and throw in strength and conditioning this puts them years ahead of any competition from other countries. I thought the clubs would be the one to spark the change and never thought the schools would have the funding like they seem to have now.
During my school days we used to get ex professional players a few times a season come in and help coach, but not having top coaches who were our school teachers filling the gaps back then. There was no funds and teachers had to do the extra sporting activities which was part of their contract.
One of my ex team mates was busy coaching the Russian National team recently and his contract was terminated when the Ukraine war happened and is now back coaching locally. I bet you he never thought he would be coaching school boy rugby as a career as we knew it as only voluntary work with no payment. No one could predict the future and what school boy rugby has evolved into and how much money is being spent.