How money moves rugby schoolboys

17 November 2013 - 02:02 By PREGA GOVENDER
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Clubs wishing to play in the Premiership must fulfil a list of criteria.
Clubs wishing to play in the Premiership must fulfil a list of criteria.
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WEALTHY schools and rugby unions are poaching top black rugby players from schools across South Africa and offering them free tuition, accommodation and air tickets.

The poaching has prompted 24 state boys' schools to formulate a sports charter to ban the practice. The schools are expected to sign the document early next year.

The principals of four top rugby-playing schools in East London recently penned a document outlining their frustration at losing talented players to schools in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

The Sunday Times has established that 37 pupils were poached in recent years from five schools in the Eastern Cape and Boland. Those that lost players this year included:

Eight pupils from Hoërskool Menlopark in Pretoriamoved to Hoërskool Garsfontein;

Aston Fortuin left Queens College in Queenstown to join Southdowns College in Irene;

Xolisa Guma opted to move from Hoërskool Swartland in Malmesbury to Maritzburg College in Pietermaritzburg after considering an offer from the Blue Bulls to move to Pretoria;

Somila Jho left Dale College in King William's Town for Kingswood College in Grahams-town; and

Andell Loubser left Drostdy Technical High School in Worcester to join Hoërskool Menlopark in August.

Hudson Park High School principal Roy Hewett said pupils were approached in "a clandestine way" either at or after the tournament for South Africa's top under-16 school rugby players, the Grant Khomo Week.

"They are made financial offers which include free schooling and clothing. It [poaching] inculcates the wrong values in impressionable youngsters who haven't reached maturity."

Queen's College principal Brendan Grant said it could only be through "trickery" that a "Queenian" would leave the school before completing matric.

Dale College principal Mike Eddy said Jho, a first team rugby player, left the school two days before the start of his grade 11 final exams. "I ... know that there must be some sort of carrot dangled," he said.

The principal of Hoërskool Swartland, Dirk Marais, described Guma as the under-16 team's star winger. He said the pupil was in tears this week when he called him to say he was unhappy at Maritzburg College and was missing Swartland.

Guma confirmed that he was not paying any tuition or boarding fees, an annual amount of nearly R70 000. He said the Blue Bulls had offered him pocket money of R1000 a month. He has been at his new school for five weeks.

"There are plans to fly me to Cape Town twice every term from next year to see my parents."

He said Maritzburg College was "a very good school. There's a good coach taking care of me. But I feel like I back-stabbed the people who were always there for me."

Kingswood College head Jon Trafford said in a statement that Jho's family had decided to move him to the school.

"It would be fair to say we do, like every good school, endeavour to attract talented pupils to the college when they show interest, but we do not tout for talent."

Dean van der Watt, academic head for rugby at Hoërskool Menlopark, denied that the school had poached Loubser.

"A businessman wanted to put Andell in Pretoria and he chose to come to Menlopark," he said.

Vernon Rorich, principal of Southdowns College, said the Blue Bulls rugby union gave players' names to the school.

"We then accommodate them, we educate them and hand them back to the Bulls. Obviously, we use them in our sports side."

He said Fortuin had been appointed head boy of the school for next year.

King Edward VII principal David Lovatt said his school did not go "shopping" for rugby players, but Glenwood High School's principal, Trevor Kershaw, confirmed that his school actively recruited players.

However, he said it tried to sign up younger boys to develop.

Ten boys from Gauteng, the Western Cape and the Eastern Cape, whom he described as "special talents", will be attending the school next year. "Some are full payers, some part-payers and some full bursary," he said.

Gavin Melvill, chairman of the Sharks youth rugby management committee, said the club did not poach rugby players.

"Most of the top schools around the country are poaching each other's players," he said.

Xander Janse van Rensburg, the Blue Bulls' high performance manager, said the club believed in giving talented players an opportunity to develop.

"I don't see it as poaching. If we identify a talented player and we feel it's viable for him to move, we will move him."

govenderp@sundaytimes.co.za

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