How to grow more home grown stars?

[NTT]

While the standard of Premier grade rugby gradually keeps improving, how do we get it to the point where it produces Force players regularly? Does each club need to do more to help develop skills and conditioning to ready players for Force duties? Does RWA put a limit on foreign recruitment to encourage clubs to go with local talent first? Should we have a two tier local comp with relegation/promotion? Should RWA put more focus into the U/16s to U/20s comps, for example switch the U/20s and reserve grade timeslots so the U/20s filter into Premier grade instead of disappearing by halftime of reserve grade? Should RWA hold more development programs throughout the clubs? Should we be putting a higher importance on getting a top notch schools competition going to produce more juniors?

Any suggestions?

[zed]

Great suggestion re the U20s. It would be really good for them to play before Prems. I think part of the problem behind WA not producing many S15 players, is down to physique. Looking at U18 & U20s there aren't really that many guys that look like the have the size or speed to make it that far. 6'2 100kg wingers seem to grow on trees in NZ and I know (as my wife tells me) size isn't everything, but it certainly helps. You get a lot of kids that give up soon after they leave school/uni so there is definitely scope for RWA to do more to ensure that players are lost to the game. Making U18 & especially U20 a bit more high profile is one way. It would also encourage players from other codes to try out rugby, if they hear & see more about it. A curtain raiser between WA U20 vs Vic U20 when we play the rebels for example.

[theforceguy]

There should be a master plan as to coaching and talent development All coaches( Junior and senior) should work towards the same goals and targets and the whole process should be administrated by the new Director of Coaching at RUGBYWA The weaknesses of local coaches and players should be identified and that is what should be concentrated on. This process has been used all over the world and if you can strive for this type of unity you will succeed in creating a bigger pool of player talent to pick players from

[pruc]

change 20s to 21s

[Hansie]

Find a way for Schools to care abour Rugby.

[GAFFA]

Alot of 20's back up for 2nds and 1st as a way to keep developming them and getting them ready for the bigger bodys. i think if you move 20's till after 2nds you may miss out on some of this development.

[jarrad]

For once there is something that Rockingham leads the competition in..... Juniors now playing super 15........ I had the chance to coach both these boys at junior level. Kieren Longbottom (western Force) and Ryan Tyrrell (Melbourne Rebels).......... Whilst Ryan was always a machine Kieren was Strong and consistant but never a "Holy Crap"!!!!! player.....(Until later years that is)
One thing about them which i believe has played a great role in putting them to where they are today was an absolute determination to be the best....... Always at training (early)..... always give a hundred percent.... nothing ever too dificult and strong minded leaders within the team. I notice even Now when he would be able to take his pick of positions in the Rocky Prems side Ryan is still among the first to turn up to training....Theres a message there....
What we need to do is look at the best players in the super 15 and assess what it is that makes them great...... we then need to comb the junior ranks at U14, 15, 16..... that have like talents (Its not always our best players at that level)....and nurture these talents.... Parents also need to be encouraged and supported Tyrrell and Longbottom both came from Super Supportive Parents who sacrificed a great deal and now reap a mighty reward
Under 20 is way too late to nurture talent.... (Though all the above ideas are good)
Pocock was International standard at 17...............

[zed]

When did Pocock shift to back row? At school he was an outside centre!

[GAFFA]

When did Pocock shift to back row? At school he was an outside centre!

He was a 12 inside Cooper in high school. he was moved to 7 when he was with a rep side i think just out of school.

[zed]

What Hansie said - There are a lot of kids that end up playing WAFL/AFL that would make great rugby players. Cousins would have made a great centre (before meth). But they never really have the opportunity to play rugby, maybe their schools are predominantly footy with no rugby or just the fact footy is so high profile in WA could prevent kids from taking up the sport. Basically we need to pump $$ into developing rugby in public schools. And it would help if the Sunday Times didn't have 17+ pages of WFL/AFL with half a page dedicated to rugby.

[RugbyFan]

Whilst on the point of schools, I don't think they have enough emphasis on choosing one sport. At PSA schools, it is compulsory to play both a summer and winter sport. I believe that if a student is a keen sportsman in a particular sport, he should be allowed to train for that sport all year around.
One thing that Australian Rules has over rugby is, school and club football do not interfere with each other. In PSA years 4-7 play on Thursday afternoons, 8/9's play Friday afternoon and 10-12 play Saturday morning. Club Football play on Sunday mornings, allowing kids to play both school and club. This is why some clubs (those in areas with mostly private schools) are struggling for numbers in the juniors.

[Pacman]

Whilst on the point of schools, I don't think they have enough emphasis on choosing one sport. At PSA schools, it is compulsory to play both a summer and winter sport. I believe that if a student is a keen sportsman in a particular sport, he should be allowed to train for that sport all year around.
One thing that Australian Rules has over rugby is, school and club football do not interfere with each other. In PSA years 4-7 play on Thursday afternoons, 8/9's play Friday afternoon and 10-12 play Saturday morning. Club Football play on Sunday mornings, allowing kids to play both school and club. This is why some clubs (those in areas with mostly private schools) are struggling for numbers in the juniors.

Hung on, PSA rugby teams number 7 or 8 last I read in the west Australian, and there are over 20 rugby Clubs!! Who needs Who here??

There's only one Rugby comp growing here, and it isn't PSA. RWA need to work a lot closer with Certain Public schools, making sure more Rugby is also played and different forms ie, 15's 10's and 7's (more than the current fixtures)
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[theforceguy]

Whilst on the point of schools, I don't think they have enough emphasis on choosing one sport. At PSA schools, it is compulsory to play both a summer and winter sport. I believe that if a student is a keen sportsman in a particular sport, he should be allowed to train for that sport all year around.
One thing that Australian Rules has over rugby is, school and club football do not interfere with each other. In PSA years 4-7 play on Thursday afternoons, 8/9's play Friday afternoon and 10-12 play Saturday morning. Club Football play on Sunday mornings, allowing kids to play both school and club. This is why some clubs (those in areas with mostly private schools) are struggling for numbers in the juniors.

The worse thing in WA rugby is the PSA. they weaken the sport and are not interested in negotiations with any of the other Rugby Union representatives in WA They are the ostrich with his head in the sand of Rugby Union in WA

[RugbyFan]

Pacman, there are 7 PSA schools and I am not sure what your point is? They both need eachother, RugbyWA should be trying to get them both to work together. The issue is the PSA and the schools in the association have the "School first, club second" policy, thus limiting the amount of Rugby kids are playing. Also, RugbyWA deals a hell of a lot with public schools and the CSC competition, they run annual carnivals in both 15s and 7s, I don't see too much of an issue with this.

theforceguy, I agree. I believe that because public schools and CSC schools play their matches on Wednesdays and Fridays (from memory?) it allows them to play club rugby and develop better. Over the last 15 years, the gap between standards of rugby in PSA and other schools has significantly closed, if not reversed.

[pruc]

Pacman, there are 10 PSA schools the gap between standards of rugby in PSA and other schools has significantly closed, if not reversed.

7 schools
and it has been reversed take away the top 2/3 schools each year the quality of school boy rugby has decreased hugely in the past 5 years.