2022 School rugby
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@Higgins WCS may gain more than a coach. They may get his sons as well. Tali Ioasa (the oldest) has been very good for Hastings Boys' and has been selected for the Hurricanes U18 Development Camp, this year. Don't know whether it will be his last year at Hastings Boys, or whether his younger brothers are just as talented.
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@Higgins said in 2022 School rugby:
@Stargazer If Tali Ioasa stays at school in HB he will obviously have to become a boarder at Napier BHS. Queue @Nepia!
Huge downvote.
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@Bovidae Liam Jack lock from Christs college will be selected. Nephew of Chris. Dad Graeme was a crusader too.
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@chchfanatic Will they name the NZ Schools squads before the U18 camps, as they did last year? Very back-to-front.
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@Bovidae Not sure what to think of this decision. Going from overexposed to nothing at all. Sounds like cracking a nut with a sledgehammer. Why not livestream a few games per season? It's a pity for all their supporters who are not able to attend all games at the sideline.
I hope we'll still be able to watch Super 8 games, next year.
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We've got three different companies all trying to get their slice of the revenue pie to show games. Some obviously now have exclusive deals, e.g., the Super 8. I know there has been some discussion in the past around the schools not benefitting financially from Sky's coverage, and when there was some sponsorship money it went to Auckland. I've no idea what happens now, other than Rob Waddell must be involved with Whakaata Māori's coverage in some capacity.
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School rugby is already starting to be excessively focused on a small number of schools. The same names appear again and again, draining good players from moderately good schools, and destroying rugby entirely at many.
If some of those games -- not evenly spread -- are televised, then that will start to make the situation even worse.
Waikato school rugby is not improved by the total dominance of Hamilton BHS. A few dozen Waikato boys get to play Super 8, at the expense of a meaningful competition for hundreds of others.
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So far 5 of the 8 schools have been announced to participate in the World Schools Festival in Thailand (December 12-17).
Grey College (South Africa)
Millfield School (England)
Hamilton Boys’ High School (New Zealand)
St Michael’s College (Ireland)
Sedbergh School (England)
Abu Dhabi World Schools Festival | Global Sporting Event For the Best Schools
The Abu Dhabi World Schools Festival showcases the highest level of sporting competition among schools from around the world, including rugby, hockey, netball, and cricket.
I know that the Hamilton BHS players are busy fundraising as it isn't cheap to take part.
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I find this quite puzzling. Schools are anti NZR cutting in because they feel it may put more pressure on young players yet it has been school behaviour all along to place a massive emphasis on their rugby teams being flagships for the school reputation. They have created this monster and I think NZR want to cool the flames a bit.
I have always been a critic of the rugby system that takes kids out of clubs, places a huge emphasis on where you attend school, then discards those that don't attract high honours back to clubs but they have lost interest and don't see clubs as a pathway because their mates have already taken the seats on the bus.
It has ruined club rugby as a pathway and stunted player development.
Those formative teen years should be about learning, not win at all costs and scholarships that come with pressure IMO.
Then you get the kids from non 'big schools' that don't even get a look in and the wasted talent.
