Shute Shield 2024

[wamberal99]

How good are the Woodies!!!

 

[Crashy]

thats all the Tahs need - Jorgo injured again - but the whole squad needs to be playing rugby all the time I reckon.

 

[Steve_Grey]

thats all the Tahs need - Jorgo injured again - but the whole squad needs to be playing rugby all the time I reckon.

What is the extent of the injury? Leg again?

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Shame. Was hoping with Tom Wright and Kellaway playing well he may get let go for the Junior World Cup

 

[Steve_Grey]

Shame. Was hoping with Tom Wright and Kellaway playing well he may get let go for the Junior World Cup

Not sure that is an issue with his current form - might not make it into JWBs.

 

[Pfitzy]

the whole squad needs to be playing rugby all the time I reckon.

The term "battle-hardened" is instructional - players in Europe play more games, and while they have squads to rotate, there's no fitness like match fitness. Gym work and training pitch is fine, but it isn't going to deliver game hardness.

Kids at rugby schools, who aren't allowed to play for their junior club, are getting less than a dozen competitive games per year.
In league it is at least twice that.

No wonder so many of them quit once they look for post-school rugby.

 

[LevitatingSocks]

The term "battle-hardened" is instructional - players in Europe play more games, and while they have squads to rotate, there's no fitness like match fitness. Gym work and training pitch is fine, but it isn't going to deliver game hardness.

Kids at rugby schools, who aren't allowed to play for their junior club, are getting less than a dozen competitive games per year.
In league it is at least twice that.

No wonder so many of them quit once they look for post-school rugby.

Have to think it's a consequence of rugby being late to professionalism compared to other sports. More money in the game would mean a greater incentive to develop juniors through the club system.

Sevens in another term could be a stop-gap solution but that does nothing for the development of your forwards.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

The best part of 100 kids get to play 20-25 games a year through the school and rep games. Two Gen Blue sides and then the NSW schools sides along with Aus 18s and Aus Schools.

We produce talent who are fit and ready to go but we don’t have the environment for them to level up. Club is there but it’s not close to professional standard. The leaps in what’s required are too big.

 

[pnut]

The best part of 100 kids get to play 20-25 games a year through the school and rep games. Two Gen Blue sides and then the NSW schools sides along with Aus 18s and Aus Schools.

We produce talent who are fit and ready to go but we don’t have the environment for them to level up. Club is there but it’s not close to professional standard. The leaps in what’s required are too big.

Hence why the tahs smashed the club sides???

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

Hence why the tahs smashed the club sides???

Don’t think that’s an indication of elite Club sides and more an indictment on the depth of the wider Tahs squad.

 

[Pfitzy]

The best part of 100 kids get to play 20-25 games a year through the school and rep games. Two Gen Blue sides and then the NSW schools sides along with Aus 18s and Aus Schools.

That's only the pointy end of identified talent tho, right? And some of those 20 games are going to be cakewalks due to the variability of schools rugby quality year to year.

League put the emphasis on club footy, grading their teams appropriately, for a level of competitiveness our junior club system - deprived of the best talent - can't muster.

The vast majority of our Rugby kids aren't getting near 20 games in the schools system, so beyond the chasm of continuity created by schools rugby itself, we're all behind other sports.

We don't create a pool of kids who are still in the game and loving it post-school, and maybe are late bloomers who are ready to improve the quality of club and/or professional Rugby.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

That's only the pointy end of identified talent tho, right? And some of those 20 games are going to be cakewalks due to the variability of schools rugby quality year to year.

League put the emphasis on club footy, grading their teams appropriately, for a level of competitiveness our junior club system - deprived of the best talent - can't muster.

The vast majority of our Rugby kids aren't getting near 20 games in the schools system, so beyond the chasm of continuity created by schools rugby itself, we're all behind other sports.

We don't create a pool of kids who are still in the game and loving it post-school, and maybe are late bloomers who are ready to improve the quality of club and/or professional Rugby.

You're bang on about not creating a pool of kids who participate longer but are there many sports really maintaining a top lower tier anymore? It feels as though society sadly is moving away from it all together.

Looking at most of the competitions in the last few seasons it's been pretty even but you could argue the rep games have been the least competitive especially in the lower ages for NSW v others.

I do want more quality Rugby for our kids but I also can't see how Rugby in this country could fund the process. Would an influx of kids to Clubs through regos suddenly create the environment? RA and the State bodies benefit in the millions due to the lift these schools undertake across coaching, facilities, medical and admin.

I know some hate the idea that Aus Schools isn't the premier side now for underage but I like the Aus U18s being open for all and kids playing Club who have finished school or kids from the CHS system who don't get to show it anymore but get through via Club like Joey Walton.

 

[Pfitzy]

You're bang on about not creating a pool of kids who participate longer but are there many sports really maintaining a top lower tier anymore? It feels as though society sadly is moving away from it all together.

You make a good point. I hold league up as an example but they're also seeing erosion in the lower ranks.

My ongoing frustration with Rugby is that we seem to actively fight against anything that looks like alignment.

 

[The Honey Badger]

The Sydney Uni 2nd grade team largely consisted of 5-7 boys who are a year out of school, which just isn't right. Keep them together in Colts programs, grow the competitiveness of the competition as a whole while also congruently influencing boys to stay in rugby after a school/club level. Take this with a grain of salt though, just a spectator's viewpoint.

I dont know anything of the makeup of the UNI 2nd grade - But they did manage a lucky win over a good rats team on saturday.

The Uni Front row were repeatedly penalized and ended up with 2 yellow cards. If these boys are just out of school - no way should they be playing grade -

 

[The Honey Badger]

Fine in theory but they cant because they breach the points system and cant play them at the same time. Uni's "dirty little secret" that is NEVER discussed in recruitment presentations. The proposition of playing at Uni is very attractive for these young players. The facilities,accomodation assistance and access to study support BUT it comes at a cost. They either get limited time in Colts or are moved into grade. No one is going to turn down the opportunity as a player but whether it is in their best interests and the interests of the competition is the issue. Imagine if all the best young players were allocated by NSW Rugby to various Colts Clubs to spread the talent and for these kids to all play in First Grade Colts...... Wouldnt that be a better model?

In a perfect world RA would have sufficient funding to fund or scholarship some academy players at low level to keep them in the game. Perhaps each SS clubs gets 1 or 2 . That may help to spread the talent, if they dont want to play for a particular club, then money goes to the next player who will.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]

You make a good point. I hold league up as an example but they're also seeing erosion in the lower ranks.

My ongoing frustration with Rugby is that we seem to actively fight against anything that looks like alignment.

Not throwing any shade as I know you're involved across your Club and Subbies but there are a lot people that love being on their committees and front centre table at the lunches too much and the Rugby part of it is secondary.

This is at all levels of the game.

 

[wamberal99]

Not throwing any shade as I know you're involved across your Club and Subbies but there are a lot people that love being on their committees and front centre table at the lunches too much and the Rugby part of it is secondary.

This is at all levels of the game.

We used to call them the Blazer Brigade!

 

[LevitatingSocks]

Not throwing any shade as I know you're involved across your Club and Subbies but there are a lot people that love being on their committees and front centre table at the lunches too much and the Rugby part of it is secondary.

This is at all levels of the game.

This is the older version of the player who will always be "injured" and never attend games or training but religiously indulges in club nights, tours, and the club merch shop.

 

[John S]

Not throwing any shade as I know you're involved across your Club and Subbies but there are a lot people that love being on their committees and front centre table at the lunches too much and the Rugby part of it is secondary.

This is at all levels of the game.

I'm involved with a volunteer organisation (not sport related) but there's people like that in my organisation - more interested in the "power" than actually meaningfully participating.

It's an issue across multiple volunteer speheres.

 

[The Ghost of Raelene]