MITCHELL SLAMS SA SCHOOLBOY DOPING; Rugby 365

FORMER ALL BLACKS COACH JOHN MITCHELL HAS WARNED ABOUT THE DANGERS OF DOPING IN SCHOOLBOY RUGBY IN SOUTH AFRICA.

The experienced Mitchell, who has also coached the Western Force and the Lions and is now based in South Africa as a television analyst, believes that the problem starts early at schoolboy level.

In a column on the Vodacom website Mitchell claimed that the obsession with size in South African rugby means that young players are under pressure to bulk up early.

"In South Africa, doping is an issue that starts at schoolboy level. The game is taken very seriously and players are often put under pressure to perform from parents and coaches alike.

"The perception in this country is that you have to be big in order to become a professional rugby player.

"I have found that there’s more of a focus on stationary weight training and getting into a gym than conditioning and basic fundamentals such as catch and pass, which is practiced in New Zealand," he wrote.

Mitchell believes that it is an issue that must be treated carefully and urged the authorities to ensure that players are adequately educated about doping.

"I’m not so sure a schoolboy who tests positive for a banned substance should be expelled. I believe a better punishment or deterrent would be to prevent him from playing for the school’s 1st XV and any age-group provincial side. Offenders also need to receive some kind of guidance and counselling.

"The game’s governing body and national rugby unions have to continually educate players about the pitfalls of ingesting drugs and what is on the banned substances list. While some players intentionally dope, at times it’s genuinely unintentional – for instance through the use of an asthma pump or supplements."

SOURCE: vodacomrugby

A story we have heard many time before, I hope there is less of it than there was. Too many injuries to top locks... is this the explanation?

 Nah. Those guys are naturally big. Ask Saffex. They are monsters, he says.

Are you saying the Boer seuns are not naturally bigger than most?  

 This is an old story and was discussed in the past on this site.   It stemmed from a study made about drug abuse in schools a year ago and the necessary steps were taken to deal with the pupils found guilty of drug abuse.
The program instituted a year ago is an ongoing venture - but even the original findings was that it was confined to a relatively small component of illegal drug users. 
What was mentioned at the time was that there are no corresponding programmes in other SH countries and that the programme should in fact be expanded to cover all schools in the RC countries - it would benefit all sporting codes - not only rugby.
What is happening in the foremost rugby schools are that from age 13 the kids are put on special diets and growth hormones (totally legal), as well as a special physical training program that affects the size of the kids. One of the foremost Rugby schools is only about 1,5 kms from my home and what amazes me is the size of the kids at that school.                 

Spin it any way you like but Mitchell is not making any of this up. Steroids is a real problem in South African schoolboy rugby . . . and he's right, it's because of this obsession we have with size.

 Rooinek
With respect - nobody said that it does not happen - but of the 960 Western Cape boys tested, 54 had traces of substance abuse present.  Too high a percentage - but not as high to justify a sweeping statement that it really is so widespread as many seems to believe.  
I am not saying it is not a problem among some of the kids, but I think that advisory programs at schools do have a positive effect.         

 OK. Let's try and get back to the crux of the matter. I do not think Mitchell is actually saying something more in a disguised way. I mentioned it in another thread and Ou Tokkie needed to have his nappy changed.
This is the real  issue, i.e. why they are doing it:

"The perception in this country is that you have to be big in order to become a professional rugby player.

"I have found that there’s more of a focus on stationary weight training and getting into a gym than conditioning and basic fundamentals such as catch and pass, which is practiced in New Zealand," he wrote.

But what does John Mitchell know in any case? The fact that he has been involved in coaching in both NZ and SA counts for fcuk all. The real experts are right here on this forum. He should rather consult with them, before he talks crap in the media. 

 My wife is a senior manager for a government agency that deals with drug abuse ,she says that here in Australia steroid abuse by schoolboys is one of the fastest growing problem areas .Mostly boys wanting to bulk up for Rugby League .Mikey growth hormones are legal ???? Given the unmasking of the Russian drug cheating its only gotten worse by the looks .

 Ceradunce
Dofdoos nobody ever said that John Mitchell is wrong about his assessment of drug abuse by school children - but what is said above is that extensive studies has been done and the process is being dealt with during ongoing programmes.  
You come back with a totally inappropriate Mitchell story about an issue where you made an utter fool of yourself under another thread and apparently cannot even understand what issue is being addressed in this case - namely drug abuse by a percentage of children in schools.
TYe day you make any logical and appropriate contribution to any thread is never to come - so one must I assume put up wit your BS all the time.  Ask your shrink - he may know how to get rid of your serious sh!t on the brain disease.     

Fact is in youth rugby the big boy always wins. Kids develop at different rates so you have big boys trying to increase their size advantage and smaller ones trying to keep up.
Youth rugby divisions should be determined by a combination of age and size. Neutralizes the size advantage, far safer and places greater emphasis on skills to beat an opponent. 

 Tend to agree with you - oimatey - some children develop faster than opthers and to get children to grow faster is a problem as well.   However, there will always be the odd-balls who uses drugs for the purpose.  It does not only relate to rugby - the boys think they can impress the girls that way too - so it is a real society problem as well.  

 "........so it is a real society problem as well."
Ou Tokkie, now you are more or less starting to get to the bottom of this. It is in fact a society problem. Exactly. That is why society, i.e. parents, school coaches, supporters, spectators, the whole caboodle, dictates that the first objective is to get the kids as big and powerful as possible. In that (i.e the big and  powerful issue), they then neglect to pay enough attention to  the basics. Passing and catching, as Mitchell puts it. That, according to John Mitchell, is what is not happening in  NZ. Over in NZ, and maybe our Kiwi brethren can confirm or discard this, the first and prime objective is skills development. The rest is secondary, especially at schools level.
Now, read John  Mitchell's remark again:
"........there’s more of a focus on stationary weight training and getting into a gym than conditioning and basic fundamentals such as catch and pass, which is practiced in New Zealand"

I am not saying and have never said that there is no or even very little talent at schools level. I say that there is not enough emphasis on skills development.

It is easy to imply that Mitchell's observations are outdated or whatever. The fact is that he has been involved in coaching in both SA and NZ and even Australia as well. I would say that he surely should know at least a bit about coaching and that he should have at least at least a bit of knowledge about were the strengths and weaknesses are.