Bishops Platinum Blue 2018 full mag crop

BISHOPS RUGBY SINCE 1861
build-up to the game as we know
it. Many South African coaches
see this as a “soft” option arguing
that our boys need to be tough
and battle hardened, it’s the
South African way! Once again
the stats will tell a different
story: the alarming drop-out of
players after school; the drop-off
of playing numbers as boys and
parents seek a “better game”; the
longterm wear-and-tear type
injuries, often as a result of bad
management in the preadolescent
years.
Rugby is a game for all shapes
and sizes, it’s a game of evasion,
it’s a game of skill and, above all,
it’s a game when coached
correctly, boys can learn many
vital life skills: team before
individual, respect for opposition
and team mates, respect for the
laws of the game and the referee,
self-control, resilience, decision
making, critical thinking and
camaraderie. It’s a game that can
produce future national and
international stars.
It should not be a structured,
robotic coach-driven programme
that delivers players who play
by rote and who constantly look
to the coach for advice. If this is
the case, we have stifled our
players, we have increased their
risk of injury and have done
very little for the longterm
development of the individual.
We need to acknowledge that
rugby is a game for the late
maturer. We need to keep boys
in the game for as long as
possible, thus ensuring that we
don’t lose talent.
We need to sit back and ask
ourselves what the role of rugby
is in our education system. It
remains a key “teaching tool” for
boys when coached correctly
and played in the right
environment. We have work to
do across all our junior rugby
structures in South Africa.
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