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The Transition from Schoolboy Rugby to Colts - Is there a better way?

  • Thread starter spirit of cupertino
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Hugh Jarse

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
Has this lack of a system to transition AAGPS boys into Colts been experienced anywhere else?

There is nearly always problems/troubles associated with Country lads getting a start in the metro areas, but if they knuckle under, they generally seem to do reasonably well without personal invitations to join a club.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
Hugh Jarse said:
Has this lack of a system to transition AAGPS boys into Colts been experienced anywhere else?

There is nearly always problems/troubles associated with Country lads getting a start in the metro areas, but if they knuckle under, they generally seem to do reasonably well without personal invitations to join a club.
Click to expand...

I've actually never heard of it until SOC began positng about it.
 
Brian Westlake

Brian Westlake

Arch Winning (36)
Hugh Jarse said:
Has this lack of a system to transition AAGPS boys into Colts been experienced anywhere else?

There is nearly always problems/troubles associated with Country lads getting a start in the metro areas, but if they knuckle under, they generally seem to do reasonably well without personal invitations to join a club.
Click to expand...
No.

Easts had guys from Glen Innes to Nowra play for them, Randwick had a lad from Barraba turn up last year to try his luck and won a premiership this year. these guys covered from Byron Bay to Jindabyne. Southern had kids from Minto too which is the stronghold of league play for them. Norths and Gordon had kids travel down from the Central Coast and Hunter to "get a crack" at the big time. The corporation covered the entire South Pacific and all of the americas for their quest (JOKE Uni Guys!!!) Manly had guys from Dubbo, the Central Coast and The Shoalhaven. They are from all ranges of schools.
So as far as being personally invited, you will have to ask the above mentioned young men whether they needed their hands held to go to training at their respective clubs
 
The_Brown_Hornet

The_Brown_Hornet

John Eales (66)
I've got to say that I find it odd that this kind of problem is being raised. Clubs, still being more or less amateur, would continually be on the lookout for new blood I reckon, especially in the age group levels. I would have thought the majority of them would have websites and contacts.

After checking, yep they basically all do. Souths even have colts information days (24th September and 12th October), which would be a pretty good way of getting to know the club I'd have thought.
 
Pfitzy

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
Wow fuck. Seems to be a real issue with this Colts thing.

My boy isn't ever likely to play rugby based on the ten years to date, but if he's still this dependent on me eight years from now, I'll probably have to get a divorce.
 
spikhaza

spikhaza

John Solomon (38)
I think it's a problem. I'm turning 19 in a couple of weeks and don't play Rugby anymore. I live in Queensland and I think there is the potential for so many more out of school leavers to be playing footy.

Most of the clubs don't have teams that go low enough to have lads the right weight involved.

A lot of the boys that play at schoolboy level in the 3rds and 4ths and to a lesser extent 2nds are drifting away and its rugby's loss. I think the clubs should work with schools close to them to get them to sign up and come down and play. Tell them it will be a good team, not a social team, a fun and enjoyable team that trains and plays hard, but isn't full of athletes, just journeymen.

For example in Brisbane - Easts should go to Churchie and more a less sign up their 3rd and 4th XV to come play. Wests should go to BBC.

IMO and this may be a little bias because I was a member of one but those 3rds, 4ths teams are the spirit of footy and they are the fans and backing of the game tomorrow.


Personally I like playing Rugby too much and will probably try and chuck 5kg's on and get back into it. I coach but I'm not that great a coach. I ref and love reffing a good game but nothing brings out the feeling of teamwork and pride like snatching a game against your rivals on the buzzer, as a supporter it feels great but as a player mmmm.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
spikhaza said:
I think it's a problem. I'm turning 19 in a couple of weeks and don't play Rugby anymore. I live in Queensland and I think there is the potential for so many more out of school leavers to be playing footy.

Most of the clubs don't have teams that go low enough to have lads the right weight involved.

A lot of the boys that play at schoolboy level in the 3rds and 4ths and to a lesser extent 2nds are drifting away and its rugby's loss. I think the clubs should work with schools close to them to get them to sign up and come down and play. Tell them it will be a good team, not a social team, a fun and enjoyable team that trains and plays hard, but isn't full of athletes, just journeymen.

For example in Brisbane - Easts should go to Churchie and more a less sign up their 3rd and 4th XV to come play. Wests should go to BBC.

IMO and this may be a little bias because I was a member of one but those 3rds, 4ths teams are the spirit of footy and they are the fans and backing of the game tomorrow.


Personally I like playing Rugby too much and will probably try and chuck 5kg's on and get back into it. I coach but I'm not that great a coach. I ref and love reffing a good game but nothing brings out the feeling of teamwork and pride like snatching a game against your rivals on the buzzer, as a supporter it feels great but as a player mmmm.
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Do they not have subbies in Brisbane for those who want to play at the lower level?
 
Pfitzy

Pfitzy

George Gregan (70)
No Colts either in Brisbane Subbies according to that Wiki entry. Not even a third Grade.
 
Hugh Jarse

Hugh Jarse

Rocky Elsom (76)
Staff member
Is it possible that Brisbane Rugby and "The Pathway" is more dysfunctional and disorganised than it is in Sydney?

It would take some doing to achieve that.
 
Brainstrust

Brainstrust

Watty Friend (18)
One of the major problems in attracting lower grade ( 3rds/ 4ths school ) into playing colts rugby has been the prospect of lining up against the Syd Uni 3rd grade colts, stacked with young men that would most likely play 1st grade colts in most other clubs, and getting bashed to death. I know this is a fact because a few years ago I tried to encouraged boys from that standard to play colts and that was the response. If they are going to keep playing they are for more likely to sign up for Subbies than grade colts. Having said that, clubs have a tendency to focus solely on the boys who play in the school nationals and not the many good players who miss out on that and could well make a good contribution in 2nd and 3rd grade colts or even higher.
 
W

whistleblower

Bob McCowan (2)
spirit of cupertino said:
As you probably know, there are plans for GPS and its sister associations to take a much greater role in junior rugby. Without a cleaner handback to the clubs at colts level this would not be wise.
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I can confirm but not detail that there is a confidential proposal for GPS, CAS, ISA, CHS, to take over Junior Club Rugby in Sydney.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
Brainstrust said:
One of the major problems in attracting lower grade ( 3rds/ 4ths school ) into playing colts rugby has been the prospect of lining up against the Syd Uni 3rd grade colts, stacked with young men that would most likely play 1st grade colts in most other clubs, and getting bashed to death. I know this is a fact because a few years ago I tried to encouraged boys from that standard to play colts and that was the response. If they are going to keep playing they are for more likely to sign up for Subbies than grade colts. Having said that, clubs have a tendency to focus solely on the boys who play in the school nationals and not the many good players who miss out on that and could well make a good contribution in 2nd and 3rd grade colts or even higher.
Click to expand...

I remember coaching 2nd grade colts a few years back and the entire front row of our Uni opponents had played either NSW or Aust schools as has the half and 5/8. They would have beaten half of the 1st grade teams, but that's only twice a year - the rest of the season was pretty much like against like.

Subbies is an option, but honestly most boys who play 3rds/4ths/5ths at school are capable of playing lower grade colts.

We see again the folly of NSWRU in deleting 4th grade colts which catered for everyone.
 
Inside Shoulder

Inside Shoulder

Nathan Sharpe (72)
Quick Hands said:
I remember coaching 2nd grade colts a few years back and the entire front row of our Uni opponents had played either NSW or Aust schools as has the half and 5/8. They would have beaten half of the 1st grade teams, but that's only twice a year - the rest of the season was pretty much like against like.

Subbies is an option, but honestly most boys who play 3rds/4ths/5ths at school are capable of playing lower grade colts.

We see again the folly of NSWRU in deleting 4th grade colts which catered for everyone.
Click to expand...

and of not imposing the points system on lower grade - particularly in colts
 
Man on the hill

Man on the hill

Alex Ross (28)
Quick Hands said:
...
We see again the folly of NSWRU in deleting 4th grade colts which catered for everyone.
Click to expand...


Given that the comp is ruled by the clubs, I don't think it is fair to try to hang that decision on NSWRU. The clubs (so I am told) were experiencing difficulty n recruiting to fill those teams and to then support them effectively.
 
Quick Hands

Quick Hands

David Wilson (68)
Man on the hill said:
Given that the comp is ruled by the clubs, I don't think it is fair to try to hang that decision on NSWRU. The clubs (so I am told) were experiencing difficulty n recruiting to fill those teams and to then support them effectively.
Click to expand...

What the NSWRU did was to delete it as being a requirement to be in 1st division. That enabled 5 clubs not to enter teams (Warringah, Gordon, Parramatta, Penrith & Souths). This meant that the 7 clubs left had a bye almost every second week, so the competition limped on for a year as a 7 team competition and then wasn't run the next year. Had the NSWRU been a bit more pro-active and alerted the 7 to what was about to happen, there were a least 2 clubs (Uni and Easts) who could have run a 5th grade team to help fill up the numbers.

The proposal for colts to take over SJRU open teams effectively means the return of 4th grade colts as an u/18 competition, which I think is a good thing.
 
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