. A feature of the Coca-Cola Under 18 Craven Week,
down the years, has been the presence of aficionados – old timers who go along,
year after year because they enjoy the type of ruby played, and because they
fancy themselves as spotters of emerging talent.
At the 50th anniversary of the week in Polokwane
this week is someone who is attending his 35th consecutive week and
who was, in his playing days, one of the top wings in world rugby.
Gerrie Germishuys played 20 tests for South Africa between
1974 and 1981 and scored 11 test tries.
He then became a teacher, and later a lecturer at Goudstad
College of Education and then University of Johannesburg (UJ). It’s has been
for those two institutions that he has been attending the Craven Week, all
these years , running his expert eye over the talent and making suggestions to
his colleagues in the recruitment department.
This may well be his last Craven Week in that capacity – he
retires next year – but he sees himself attending the week whenever it’s in the
vicinity. “I have always loved schoolboy rugby and, although it has changed as
professionalism has filtered down into the schools, I enjoy the competitiveness
of the games at this level.”
As someone who was once a “flair” player himself, Germishuys
bemoans the fact that the game has become a bit too structured. “I saw a very
good wing on Monday, clearly very fast, but his team never got the ball too him
once in the game,” he says. “I understand that game plans should be enforced,
but why select players like that if you are not playing to your strengths?”
Garmishuys believes the growing trend of taking contact
instead of avoiding it is bad for rugby, and it’s one of the reasons why, at an
international level, South African teams are unable to set up overlaps the way
the Australians and New Zealand sides do.
“The pity is that, at this Craven Week, and it’s only day
two, I have seen teams that play entertaining running rugby, and players with
plenty of ability. I am afraid that their flair gets coached out of them at
more senior levels by coaches who adopt a safety-first approach.”
Germishuys still believes that the Coca-Cola Craven Week is
the greatest school rugby tournament in the world. “To have so many good
players on display in one place is a feast for rugby-lovers like me. And for
the universities and unions, it’s the perfect opportunity to make sure they
have enough talent coming through the ranks.”
It’s reassuring to know that tomorrow’s heroes have the
heroes of the past, like Gerrie Germishuys, up in the stands, taking note of
what they are capable of.
Ends.
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