Having good youth structures is vital to any team’s long-term success and striking a balance between top class internationals and junior players who feed off the formers’ success, work ethic and quality of performances is what provides the framework for winning silverware.
Corne Rahl is one such young player who is making strides as a regular in the senior side, having made his debut in the Currie Cup as a 20-year old, and now plays alongside the likes of Springbok living legend Eben Etzebeth.
Similarly, Phepsi Buthelezi, who led the Hollywoodbets Sharks Under 19s to an unbeaten season and the crown, captained SA Under 20 as well as the Hollywoodbets Sharks Currie Cup side in 2021, was also a 20-year old debutant and now a test-capped Springbok.
Nick Hatton, also a high school first XV captain, led the Hollywoodbets Sharks in last year’s Currie Cup campaign as a 21-year old (the team went on to win the crown) and has been regularly selected in the senior side for Vodacom United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup commitments.
And just this past weekend, with an average age of just 21, Hollywoodbets Sharks head coach John Plumtree installed Ethan Hooker and Jurenzo Julius as his starting centre pairing against Cardiff.
“They’re both outstanding young players and good boys,” said Plumtree. “They’re still at the stage where their focus is on their development and it lays the spotlight on that midfield combination potentially for years to come.”
These are but five of a growing number of players who were identified at schoolboy level, played representative rugby for province (and country in many cases) and who are expected to lead the charge in the Black & White jersey for years to come as this number grows.
Jeremy Mclaren, head coach of the Hollywoodbets Sharks Under 19s is excited about – and completely committed to – the role he plays in developing future stars.
“It’s really important that your system feeds junior players into the senior structures, and a healthy system is when you don’t have to buy players to fill your senior levels.
“Our Director of Rugby Neil Powell wants us to put all our efforts into developing the junior systems in the best way possible, so that in two or three years, we can say we’ve invested everything from a coaching perspective into those players.
“A good system is when the senior players want to help the juniors and that’s something Neil also wants to see.”
With a number of SA Schools players from local schools and further afield – Hilton College, Grey College, KES, Affies, Jeppe – Mclaren explains that while not all the players in his squad come from well-known school, he feels that the potential in the group is very exciting.
“We don’t only have the cream of the crop with us, we also have players with potential who we want to keep developing. This year’s Under 19 group is a well-balanced side that has shown a lot of determination and character.”
Some of the players he coached at schoolboy level have gone on to shine, including the aforementioned Phepsi Buthelezi, as well as Dylan Richardson, JJ van der Mescht, Sanele Nohanba, Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse and many more.
“I’ve been blessed to work with those kids at some stage in their schooling career and I believe that starting from grassroots up, it’s important for us to create Springboks. While the Springboks you buy do add great value and who the fans come to watch, but if we can get to develop more Springboks, we will be much more successful as a union.”
For Hollywoodbets Sharks Under 21 coach Mike Vowles, the focus on developing the youth is also something he completely buys into.
“We have an exciting group of young players who have joined us from the Under 19s, no different this year to previous years and a group with a good rugby foundation which has made the transition easy; we’re excited to see how they go.”
Losing 11 players to the SA Under 20 camp, shows what is being accomplished in the junior ranks and he adds: “There is plenty to celebrate, the likes of Nick Hatton, Ethan Hooker, Ethan Bester, Jurenzo Julius all getting call-ups to the URC gives our programme credibility and it shows what can happen when you are disciplined, hard-working and committed to the system.
“It’s credit to the accumulated effort of everyone who looks after the boys here. While we don’t have massive numbers, we put all our energies and intensive effort into ensuring that the individuals are really well-equipped for that transition into senior rugby.”
2024 was also a watershed year for many of the Under 21s who got exposure in the Currie Cup and were able to hold their own and compete – and succeed.
“The system is working and it’s a system that offers guys an opportunity to get better,” Vowles explains. “Those individuals who have come through our system have shown an unbelievable work ethic, they’ve applied themselves and have been great ambassadors for the Hollywoodbets Sharks both on and off the field.
“We’re poised to really move forward with our junior system. Neil Powell is taking an active role in managing the programme which is massive for us, along with a coaching structure that has the best interests of the players at heart, working hard to transfer the tools to help the players successfully transition from junior to senior rugby.”