The Western Province Rugby Football Union is fortunate to have a big pool of schoolboy rugby players, but it is crucial for these aspiring players to have a pathway to success – even from a young age.
Not only do these players represent Western Province at schoolboy level, from U12 through to U18, but these players will also hopefully form the nucleus of future DHL Stormers and DHL Western Province senior teams.
The best young talent is identified at Under-12 level already for the Elite Squads of the Bestmed School of Excellence, where they undergo training and are prepared for selection to the DHL WP U13 team that competes in the Coca-Cola U13 Craven Week.
The best of that talent is retained, nurtured, grown and added to at an U15 level with Elite Squads identified and prepared for selection to the DHL WP U16 teams for the Coca-Cola U16 Grant Khomo Week.
The same process is followed at the U17 age group level for the DHL WP U18 teams that participate in the Coca-Cola U18 Craven Week and Coca-Cola U18 Academy Week.
Players are invited to trials in September of every year where training squads for the Bestmed School of Excellence are finalised. These squads receive gym programmes and are also exposed to on-field sessions until October under the guidance of the High Performance Department.
At U16 level the players currently in the programme, together with other players at this age group, are invited to trials in March to select final squads for the Coca-Cola U16 Grant Khomo Week. A management team is appointed to coach and manage the team prior to and during the tournaments. After the tournament, mentors are assigned to the players and they are retained within the programme.
At U17 level the High Performance Department receive nominations from school coaches of players that could be included in the Bestmed School of Excellence squad. These nominations are then verified against current players in the Coca-Cola U16 Grant Khomo Week squad of the previous year to ensure that no players are left out. In September every year the final squads are selected and the players are then issued with gym programmes and also attend on-field sessions until October. Schools coaches are appointed to mentor the players and further advise the players with respect to continued personal development.
At U18 level, players from the programme together with additional players nominated by schools, are invited for trials between March and May every year, to select final training squads for the Coca-Cola U18 Craven Week. A management team to coach and manage the team prior to and during the tournament is appointed.
Structures and expert staff are in place to ensure that the top schoolboy players are identified at an early age and placed in a mentorship programme which pairs them with a senior DHL Stormers player, who oversees their development and is able to provide guidance both on and off the field, schooling them in the Western Province way and showing them what it takes to be a professional Western Province athlete.
The on-field results of this structured programme of identification, development and retention over the last five years speak for themselves:
At the end of their time with the Bestmed School of Excellence players are selected for inclusion at at the Western Province Rugby Institute and Western Province Rugby Academy to continue their development towards becoming a professional rugby player.
Current and former DHL Western Province and DHL Stormers stars that have passed through DHL Western Province U16 Grant Khomo selection, include Dewaldt Duvenage, Frans Malherbe, Nizaam Carr and Sikhumbuzo Notshe.
Current and former DHL Western Province and DHL Stormers stars that have also passed through DHL Western Province Craven Week selection include Jean de Villiers, Cheslin Kolbe, Dillyn Leyds, Frans Malherbe, Steven Kitshoff, Eben Etzebeth, Louis Schreuder, Kobus van Wyk and Justin Geduld.
