Very well said Lee. Also this is exactly why I dont understand the high level of posts on these soon to be nobodies. Private school players who forgo colts rugby in Yr 12 will also find it harder to make the transition.
I think Lee's point is valid: that school Rugby should be enjoyed for its own sake and for the pleasure of spotting potential senior players.
But you need to keep perspective about it. If I look at the players who were in the Australian Schools team in my last year at school, there was maybe one future Wallaby, a sprinkling of State representatives and a whole bunch of guys who never made it past Colts. That's less likely to happen nowadays, but still I hope there are people reminding these kids that an Australian Schools jumper is a fine achievement in its own right, but that within a year or two they go into grade or colts with a whole bunch of players who have just as much chance of making it in the senior ranks. No-one ever made a fuss about players like Justin Harrison when they were 18.
It's largely about attitude. A kid who thinks his gold jersey is a fast ticket to the top will go nowhere. A boy who uses it as an inspiration to go after the real thing has a chance.
It's also about luck. If you're, say, Cameron Clark or Brogan Roods, you confound any predictions about your future by getting injured. Not their fault, I hasten to add, but that factor plays a part in determining the future of these players.
