11 Responses to Scottish Rugby: Kilted Kiwi winger to soar for Ayr

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  1

  Bullscot on 3 October 2014 at 12:10 pm

  With big European rugby coming up soon it will be good for Sean to get a decent run in the game even if it is at lower level. Glasgow Warriors are spoilt for choice in the back three at the moment so to have a fit and in form Maitland fighting for a place will make it all the better.
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  2

  Bullscot on 3 October 2014 at 12:17 pm

  I think overall the system of having pro players drafted to clubs that operates here is a good one especially as there are only two fully professional clubs. It allows players who are coming back from injury to get a chance to play competitive rugby before being thrust in at the higher level and also helps keep squad players who may not be first choice week in and week out a chance to remain match fit. Plus it surely must also benefit the lower level clubs players to be training and playing alongside the pro players at times. The only issues I can really see is that of team continuity for the clubs coaches and perhaps fairness at times for the clubs who are also competing in leagues.
  Would such a system work in South Africa?
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  3

  Scrumdown on 3 October 2014 at 12:25 pm

  2 @ Bullscot:
  In theory all of the Lions players have to be club members.

  However the chances of them playing for those clubs is usually quite remote, but it does happen occasionally.

  I used to play club Rugby with Kobus Wiese at Pirates in the early 90’s, when all provincial players were also club players, but in this day and age it’s a rare thing.
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  4

  MacroBok on 3 October 2014 at 12:31 pm

  During the June test window a few of the Sharks players were playing club rugby.
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  5

  Bullscot on 3 October 2014 at 12:31 pm

  3 @ Scrumdown:
  Hi Scrumdown, really interesting man, especially you lining up alongside Kobus Wiese just one of the benefits I think of the system. I guess I should have added another question of whether such a system is necessary in SA where there are so many more professional teams and there is also an u19 and u21 competition for players in the pro teams to compete in. I still like to think that there is a place for the clubs you never know what gem is waiting there to be discovered.
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  6

  Bullscot on 3 October 2014 at 12:34 pm

  4 @ MacroBok:
  Hi MacroBok thanks for that so maybe it is operating there more than I thought, good stuff. Don’t know if it works there like over here but as far as I understand it the clubs playing in the ‘Premiership’ here are divided into two areas for the player draft with one lot getting Glasgow Warriors players and the other Edinburgh Rugby players. The clubs then get to pick and choose who they want to be their draft players for the season and then these players are released at various stages in the season I guess depending on the pro teams needs. I don’t know how the hierarchy of who gets to pick who in what order works.
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  7

  MacroBok on 3 October 2014 at 12:48 pm

  @ Bullscot:
  Then again it is all about player management, I would imagine players that are not involved with weekend playing squads would be released to get match fit? I assume that at any given time 30+ players will be involved with a provincial union most of the time? but still less than would be contracted with European teams as the u21 currie cup is a good feeder system as it is.

  Would be interesting to know how many Senior players would be contracted to a union with very limited playing time, the Bulls for example have Waylan Murray, he is surely playing club rugby on weekends if he is still fit? Or the Vodacom Cup players who have to move aside when the Super Rugby players returns.

  For the series “First Team” players, there is just too much rugby and rest time is important, but they should only play club rugby after a long play off.

  In the bigger picture, it must be unsettling for club teams to get these new players in forcing everyone to make room on the off chance.
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  8

  MacroBok on 3 October 2014 at 12:55 pm

  @ Bullscot:
  It takes truly exceptional players to get a chance at the “big leagues” from club rugby, players are being vetted from since they are in school, and if a young player still believes he is good enough they will have to play Varsity Cup for one of the big universities and work their way up into the first team. Players could also apply with various rugby academies, but I have no idea how these systems work. It is a professional sport that requires professional commitment.

  Piet “the mechanic” will find it tough here.
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  9

  Bullscot on 3 October 2014 at 3:54 pm

  7 @ MacroBok:
  Yes there are differences with a far stronger youth feeder system numbers wise in SA via the u21s and even U19s. One does wonder what happens to a player like Waylon Murray who is not getting regular game time with the Blue Bulls but can’t play youth rugby anymore, I know he came over to UK a few months ago with a very young Bulls 7s team but that is hardly regular 15man game time he would be getting unless he turned out for one of the clubs, there must be quite a few players who are just out of u21 age cut off and not quite regular first choice for the seniors.
  Had a quick look at the Glasgow squad and saw a list of 60 players! Possibly around a dozen of those I think are ‘development’ players even youth players still such as 18 year old lock Andrew Davidson who is listed as a Glasgow Hawks (non pro club) product and on the Warriors ‘roster’ as an Elite Development Player.

  I also wonder like you about players coming and going which is why I mentioned possible continuity issues, suppose a lot would depend on the attitude of the players who are being replaced at times by a pro – do they sulk or grab the opportunity to try learn as much as they can in training and watching that player close up in the game. The concern would be injuries that the pro’s could pick up but hopefully there are not too many players at the club level who would be keen to take a cheap shot to injure a pro.
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  10

  Bullscot on 3 October 2014 at 4:00 pm

  8 @ MacroBok:
  Ja I had not even thought of the Varsity Cup as well so you do have quite a few more avenues for players to develop on their way to the senior teams. There is some form of inter-University competition here too but nowhere near the level of Varsity Cup I would suggest, and this could also be an area that the SRU may want to look at investing in to get more players into the senior set ups. Am not sure though if the culture at Universities here is the same as for example at Tukkies where you would get loads of students out for the Varisty Cup games in a huge carnival atmosphere.

  Pity though you think it would be very hard for a club player to get chosen the way they have gone with the professional set-ups as what happens when some of the u19s and u21s who are identified and invested in don’t make the step up as maybe they peaked in their rugby earlier in their life, and also there must be many guys who are overlooked at their schools for whatever reason – personal favouritism etc who could go on and be great club players.

  Oh ja I thought Mike was ‘the mechanic’ not Piet
  Gotta go
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  11

  MacroBok on 3 October 2014 at 5:20 pm

  @ Bullscot:
  Ive always maintained that one of the reasons the sharks struggle to bring players through is due to favoritism of the fancy schools in the system. Unfortunately sometimes talent is not enough when not given the opportunity. .. But such is all things in life.