31-15 today which is pretty impressive. The 2014 Grey High rugby side looks set for a good season.
I understand the touring side contains no 2013 school leavers and does not include their star flyhalf and centre who are both playing cricket for the EP U17 side.
Their last match is against Monmouth School, which is a Welsh side
Saffex
Looking at the recent results of the school teams it seems there is a vast difference between the England rugby on school level and SA Rugby at that level. Although England won the U20 WC this year - it was actually by default - nothing else.
Last years Craven Week crop was below par and the Under 20 team this year was consequently not really on par with the 2012 team. This year the experts thought that the Craven week was on a much better level than last year - and there are some real stars coming through. Be is as it may - the only thing that can bedevil the team this year is BEE selections - otherwise they would be hard to beat in the U20 WC.
However, there is one thing that bothers me about Junior level rugby in the NH countries. The NH clubs have far too many foreign players and not enough juniors coming through the ranks to play later on international level. That ultimately has a negative effect on the performances of their test teams.
Unlike Mozart and Meyer - who do not believe in junior rugby development - I think that it is very important that there be a strong feeder system for rugby in the longer run, otherwise you keep on playing mediocre elder players - who let you down constantly. That can only be regarded as bad news if players well into their thirties are constantly called up from foreign clubs to play for the Springboks and we keep mediocrities way past their sell-by dates.
Wrong Mike, I'd say that the SA schools would have a slight edge over the English ones and that is evidenced by the fact that last year the SA schools side only narrowly beat the English schools side in SA, away from home and the England U20 side is always very strong and amongst the best that compete in the annual JWC.
The only good school Grey High has played on tour is Millfield and as I have mentioned they don't look as strong this year as previous years as I saw them at my sons schools rugby festival a few months back where they did not make the final, something they usually do every year. I thought their pack lacked grunt this year.
Also, we do not know how good this Grey High side is, as they are not the 2013 side that ended 12 ranked in SA this year. I have checked the touring squad out and there are only about 5 players from the 2013 side. This side as their school website indicates, is the side that will compete in 2014. I do recall a few years ago that Grey High had a phenomenal U15A side and this touring side might just be that group of boys a few years on. But I am not sure of that.
But most importantly, the only schools that take rugby seriously here are the private schools and grammar schools. The government schools hardly play rugby at all. However, club rugby is huge in the UK and all the government school kids mostly play for their clubs, not schools. Many of the private school kids play rugby for school and club as my little man does. He plays for school on a Saturday, club on a Sunday.
I coach his club side and can assure you that his club side would have beaten his school side only because most of his school side are in my club side, along with the best players from other private, grammar and government schools in the area. So at club you get a large pool to select from. My age group has about 60 boys to choose from for instance, while school has half that number.
Just look what happened to Dr EG Jansen on Friday night, they got thrashed 51-0, so are clearly not their 2013 side and like Grey High are obviously the side that will play in 2014 and by all accounts wont end up ranking 5th in SA in 2014, given the beating they took. Admittedly it was against Leicester Tigers U18 Academy, but if you are the 5th ranked school in SA you would not get thrashed like that.
The difference between SA and the UK is that in SA, rugby is only played at school. In the UK school boy rugby is split between rugby and club in terms of players.
