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Newington snooping around in the Illawarra at the moment. Interested in this years U15 team. This is the first time I've heard of Newington down here, usually Kings and Scots. Of course not Rugby scholarships because they don't exist, must be other types of scholarships.

I like the JGC program. In almost all other sports that we take seriously at around 16 the kids (who aspire to higher representation) would be training 4 times a week, swimmer would be getting up at 4:00 am, gymnists twice a day, runners 5 times a week etc. This has been the case for decades...

Compare this list and an Australian Schoolboys rugby union team and you can see the problem we face here in the Illawarra, and Australian rugby faces. You can see why the boys in the Illawarra will conclude that they'll get much fairer treatment in League and, unless they get a scholarship...

Man on the Hill, So important is the measured participation rate that part of the pay of the ARU execs needs to be set off participation growth rates and these figures need to be independently audited, signed off (auditor and directors) and published. Nothing else will follow without realistic...

It may be politically impossible but I would like to see Country do way with the Country championships and play a 6 week competition with full game time (not 22min halves, I've given some costings on how this could work on another thread). I think Sydney should likewise do away with the State...

I watched all the age games and the thing that stood out for me was how much better the Sydney teams were in repositioning thier backs to either attack or defend. In all ages I thought the Country boys at least held thier own in the forwards and in the set piece but as soon as they had to reset...

To further complicate things what do people think about the idea that the finals series not be a SS finals but a combined Qld Premieship SS finals? For first grade only?? With or without super 15 players??

Southsider, At the level of the District comp (that I was talking about), yes. We should invest limited resources in boys that are committed to union and in boys that aren't getting the training and level of games that the big Private rugby schools provide already i.e. increase the number of...

Largely agree with the basis of your proposals however we differ on one important point, and that is double dipping. Having watched country/CCC and district rugby over the years I have formed the view that the main difference between the boys in "rugby schools" and non rugby schools in the...

I've been thinking along similar lines. Here's my straw man. Inter district comp to be held on Saturdays i.e. no double dipping with schools. The objective is to increase the number of boys getting mid level training and committment. Inter district to be "private rugby school equivalent". 15...

I've never heard of any one being selected into a Great Public School rep. team, nor of any Great Public School rep team even existing. Many Great Public School players get selected into a Presidents XV 1s 2s and 3s , however I don't know of any code of pratice that covers the selection of...

George, this is good stuff as always. My view is that in rugby (as in most things) first you need to determine how you want your team to go about its business ie strategy. Are you going for a pod type strategy, a fatigue, 10 man rugby, Randwick run at all costs etc. Then take your checklist...

THE LEFTOVERS RUGBY CLUB sorry Banjo Patterson It was somewhere in the suburbs, and in the land of rock and scrub, That they formed an institution called the Leftovers Rugby Club. They were long and wiry natives of the suburban countryside, And a maul was never formed that the leftovers...

Certainly you have a great opportunity with the Uni of Western Sydney. It absorbed the old Hawksbury Ag college which had a strong rugby tradition. UWS also runs a sport science program so will have a load of post grads. looking to practice on someone, plus the scholarship thing. Illawarra rugby...

I watch the Penrith vs Eastwood game (now famous) on Saturday and then the game against my boys team Illawarra. You have a good team there look after them, they play a style of rugby I like, hard up in your face don't step backwards rugby. Eastwood didn't know what happened to them. The game...

Probably not the right forum but the story seems to fit here. In 2008 Ron Davis (a shamrocks dad/coach) took the Illawarra U13 to NZ on tour, that year they won the Country champs and the state champs. The following year we again took the U13s (I went as "No!! we haven't got the money"...

My view is that the biggest barrier to the growth of rugby in Australia is that of perception. It is perceived to be an elitist sport, run by the elites for the benifit of the elites (this doesn't stand up to testing but the perception roles on). the cultivation of this goes back 100 years...

Hugh, I like Georges post/information it helps inform the debate well. I have a different view on the objectives of rugby development. Relative to you I place a much lower emphasis on winning teams and where the "talent" plays rugby. My view is the first and formost the objective of the ARU...

Thank you George.

Hugh, The U16s were announced at the end of the Country Champs, and trained at the All ages camp last weekend. They played Gordon district last Sunday, looked good. I don't know why their not on the Country Juniors site.