New selection system for SA Schools
7 Jun 2012
GARETH DUNCAN reports that Saru have established a new SA Schools selection policy to ensure that the strongest possible squad is picked.
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Over the years, pundits and coaches have complained about the selection process used for the SA Schools squad. Some have argued that the best players aren’t always called up, while some have questioned the exclusion of schoolboys who were not picked to appear at the annual U18 Craven Week.
To avoid these scenarios, Saru will broaden the SA Schools squad’s player pool. This year, the selection panel will consider players from the secondary U18 provincial tournaments (like the U18 Academy and LSEN weeks) and schoolboys who have excelled on the national school 1st XV scene, but have failed to receive a provincial call-up.
Traditionally, a final SA Schools squad is announced following the unofficial Craven Week final on the last match day. These selections are based on the talent that featured during the tournament.
However, Saru manager of amateur teams and events Yusuf Jackson said a wider squad will take part in a trial phase, that will run sometime in July.
‘A squad of players will be announced after Craven Week. They will be joined by players who have excelled at the other provincial tournaments and schoolboys, who didn’t receive provincial selection, at the SA Schools trials,’ Jackson told Schoolboy Derby. ‘This will ensure that we have the strongest squad available.
‘This group will be picked by our selection panel, which is headed by [national convener of selectors] Peter Jooste. This panel will also include members from the SA Schools Rugby Association [SASRA].’
The SA Schools team will take part in three international matches this year. They will face U18 teams from England, Wales and France between 5 and 18 August. The fixture against England will feature as a curtain-raiser for the Rugby Championship Test between the Springboks and Argentina at Newlands on 18 August.
Jackson also mentioned that a professional approach will be used in appointing this year’s SA Schools coach and team manager.
‘Candidates had the opportunity to send in their applications. From that pool, a shortlist has been created,’ he said. ‘On the off day during Craven Week [Friday, 13 July], we will have interviews with the final candidates, and the new coach and team manager will be appointed during the squad announcement.’
Meanwhile, Jackson added that the preparations for all the age-group provincial weeks are going well.
‘We are very happy with the planning of the youth weeks and we are expecting some successful and entertaining tournaments,’ said Jackson. ‘What’s great is the fact that four of our provincial unions will have the honour of hosting a tournament.’
The U13 Craven Week will be held at Grey College in Bloemfontein. The U18 Academy Week will be hosted in Wellington. The Grant Khomo U16 Week and the LSEN Week will be hosted in Johannesburg, while the U18 Craven Week will be played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.
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8 Comments
7 Jun 2012, 15:32 pm
Seems fair to the young dragons.
7 Jun 2012, 16:19 pm
Great to give some of the other youngsters a go. So school politics, a bad day, an injury at trials etc. could all still help a player get to the top of his game without having to be a craven Week. All systems are flawed, but this seems like as good a system as any.
7 Jun 2012, 18:25 pm
This is a step backwards.
At the core of this process is the acceptance that the Craven Week selection is
flawed in that the best players do not make it at that level. All this
suggested ‘plan’des is create more confusion.
Very few people will disagree here regarding the uneven process and poor selection at this level..
If you ask me the whole Craven Week under 18 selection and training process needs to be overhauled and cleaned up to feed into the SA schools structure.
Side show rubbish by SARFU again. We all know the dubious and amateurish boetie-boetie nonsense that permeates the whole provincial set up.
Concentrate on sharpening that up SARFU.
I could go on here about more efficient procedures but it would be a waste of time.
Start by looking abroad at other sporting codes.
SARFU, stop wasting time and money.
7 Jun 2012, 18:26 pm
It seems the provinces and the National body have no co-operation or understanding here.
7 Jun 2012, 22:55 pm
I would’ve thought that you would appoint the coach BEFORE the tournaments, Craven Week, etc. so that he can be at said tournaments to familiarize himself with the players he’d be working with. You might even allow him some input in selections. That would be my logic, anyway.
11 Jun 2012, 15:30 pm
Can some one tell me where to get more info on this matter we sitting with boys
that are not allowed to play Craven weak this year bc of Border rugby so I would
like to no who to contact regarding this matter if u guys can help us out
Thanks
18 Jun 2012, 09:34 am
I think that there should still be a selection of players made at the Coca-Cola Craven Week because it is a recognition as to who were the best players in the tournament. If there is an issue with the way that players have been chosen to represent their provinces then that is an issue that should be solved at union level not at the tournament. This whole story says to me that there is a problem with union selections and that the tournament is suffering from it so instead of fixing the unions we are messing with a great tradition. Another thing is that I do feel sorry for the players that have been injured and could not make the tournament. They can still be called into the squad at a later date. Stick with the SA Schools selection.
3 Jul 2012, 22:41 pm
Would love to see the SA schools take on the NZ schools.
Or each countries top school of each year
eg Kelston v Grey Blom etc
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