"First, a little background: My U17 son plays for one of the so-called elite rugby schools, and I experience the pressure he has to perform week after week, so much so that the enjoyment of the game we love so much is no longer the reason he plays.
And as a parent and rugby lover, it is my fault. In primary school, he enjoyed his rugby and couldn't wait to play on Saturdays, so much so that he was spotted by a talent scout who acts on behalf of high schools.
The result was a scholarship to one of the Noordvaal Cup division schools, without a doubt, the top schools league in the country, if not in the world.
As things go, boys grow and develop at different paces, and my son struggled to keep up. His skills were excellent, but height and weight were a problem according to the coaches.
The school recommended supplements which were legal, but later started threatening him that he could lose his scholarship if he didn't perform at the expected level.
I only found out about these things later because, you see, bro is part of a group of men where you don't want to be seen as the weakling, and he is in the hostel, which means we only have him home on Sundays if we are lucky.
On top of that, he is now being told that if he doesn't perform as expected, the school will "buy" another player in his place.
Then I should also mention that some of his teammates who were also at the school on a scholarship have already changed schools at the U15 level because better offers were made by other schools.
What are we doing? For me, it was the right thing to send my son to a so-called good school on a scholarship, but slowly I realised that it was the worst thing I could have done.
The reality is that winning is the most important factor for the school and not the education and development of my child. The egos of a few grown men are being stroked by the false illusion of victory that is achieved at the expense of our children.
The reality is that it is not the school that wins, but an artificially “bought” team from other communities and towns. And then coaches have the arrogance to think that it is because of their good coaching.
No, sirs, we are killing the love for rugby at a young age. Every year, I see how children who have done well at U13 and U4 level are just relegated to lower teams at the expense of “bought stars”, and it is a struggle to push B, C and D teams onto the field because boys lose interest.
The “bought stars” become untouchable on the school grounds because what if they decide to leave?
You are a sick bunch of men, and only you can fix it. It would be interesting to see a report of how many players in the U16 and 1st teams in the Noordvaal Cup division do not have bursaries.
Come on, guys, put your egos aside and let's make our schools' rugby healthy and stop raising the pressure higher and higher.
Let's stop the bribery or bursaries or whatever you want to call it, because if you have to pay a child to play for your school, then your school is in a very bad place anyway.
Boys should play for a school because they want to, not because they or their parents are paid! The Administrators Cup/Directors Trophy/Image Trophy/Virseker Cup/Noorvaal Cup has a proud history of 104 years. Let's take care of it and not let it lapse into a competition where the school that spends the most money on bursaries wins the trophy.
Parents, realise that rugby bursaries may be a status symbol for you, but that children should not be under the pressure that comes with it; they are just children.
With Supersport Schools and Playpro, our boys get the necessary exposure, and if they are good enough, they will be noticed. In any case, it is the absolute minority of players who will play professionally after school, but we as parents and coaches carry on as if Boeta is the next Siya Kolisi.
Maybe school governing bodies, principals, coaches and sponsors should just start realising that artificial victories that are bought with astronomical rugby budgets are actually just a confirmation of your school's failure to just be a good school.
Greetings"
