Behind rankings and results: The mental health battle in SA’s schoolboy rugby

EXCLUSIVE: The schoolboy rugby landscape in South Africa is unlike any other, and the current season continues to underline that fact.

Unlike in past years, the gap between the traditional powerhouses and the chasing pack has closed significantly, making schools’ rugby an exciting sporting offering in the country.

For many families and enthusiasts, Saturdays are synonymous with standing next to a rugby field with a cappuccino or boerewors roll in hand, discussing the first-team clash, analysing past results, and debating the rankings.

The growth over the years has been immense, with some even comparing it to American college football, the pinnacle of college sport in the United States.

With all the positives, however, come several challenges.

Also Read: Inside the world of High-Performance coaches in schoolboy rugby

The game has become increasingly professional, and the amount of money schools spend to strengthen their programmes to compete is significant.

While it’s entertainment for the audience consuming the product, it has become a high-pressure environment focused on winning, rankings, and reputations to uphold for the players – all while balancing teenage life, academics, and personal development.

There are enormous expectations on schoolboy rugby players, from matches broadcast live on television, social media exposure, public attention, and harsh criticism and scrutiny from strangers.

These, alongside several other factors, have intensified the pressure on players to perform week in, week out, and that’s affecting them mentally, according to sports psychologists.

“We are at an age where these high-profile players are bombarded with social media and are being evaluated even before they take the field,” Ivan Jooste, a performance wellness coach and sports psychologist, told Rugby365.

“Our players are not mentally developed to handle these pressures coming from external sources.

“Proper coaching systems do allow for players to feel safe within the team environment, but what’s said on social media stays there and affects the players.

“There should be room for psychological support to equip our boys and help them deal with the pressures on and off the field.”

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Jooste is also a registered wellness counsellor and currently offers his services to Stellenberg High School in Cape Town.

He believes coaches and schools are aware of the pressures that come with competing at a high level, but need to make a concerted effort to look after the mental health of players and protect them.

“A lot of the schools competing in the Top 20 have great coaches and systems, but I don’t think there’s yet the intentional drive to look after the mental health of our boys.

“That’s not because they don’t acknowledge the pressure, but I think momentum hasn’t shifted yet.

“Schoolboy rugby is big, and there are a lot of rumours about the amount of money being spent, but at the end of the day, it’s about the players on the field.

“They are still kids and need to develop. Some of them tick the box in terms of their quality, talents, and skill level, but who’s looking after the mental health of these boys?”

Dr Reg Hammond, a highly qualified psychologist and former rugby coach, echoed Jooste’s sentiments.

Hammond shared that he had seen first-hand promising young rugby players rise to early fame and then struggle to cope thereafter.

He believes the pressures that come with being a schoolboy rugby player at the highest level, and having a massive profile at a young age, can negatively affect players if not dealt with accordingly.

“There aren’t many programmes that allow the players who make it at a young age to deal with that success,” he said.

“The danger of social media, and other external sources, is that the boys start building a reputation and image that feeds their egos.

“Sometimes they’ll feel like they are larger than life and then lose contact with reality, and their egos become massively inflated.

“That adds more pressure to them because they have to uphold a certain image and become people they are not.”

Hammond, who’s been involved in the schools sector for over 30 years, also coached first-team rugby at Jeppe High School for Boys for 14 years.

In his later years in the dugout, he was involved with the Lions provincial sides and had seen the schoolboy game change drastically over the years.

“We often talk about rugby being a vehicle, and it’s such a brilliant window for coaches to influence the boys, but we’ve somehow lost the plot.

“For a lot of schools, it’s about trophies and rankings, and sometimes that leads to neglecting the human beings, who are the players.

“We can’t run away from the fact that schools nowadays use rankings as part of their marketing ploy, but this can be a positive or negative thing, especially if the boys aren’t used to the pressure.”

Moving forward, the duo believe the school’s rugby landscape will become more intense with increasing amounts of money being pumped into the game.

There have also been talks around the commercialisation of school sports, and how some of the most high-profile schoolboy players are helping companies market and grow their brands.

Jooste believes the current trajectory will become a norm, but says schools need to implement stronger support structures for players.

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“Firstly, we need to acknowledge that our boys need support on a mental level,” he added.

“It was quick to acknowledge that we needed professional coaching, and a financial framework to get those coaches was set up. The same needs to happen here.

“There’s no way we can stop this train, and now it falls on schools to make sure we look after the holistic development of players.

“For it to be sustainable and healthy, there needs to be room for the mental, social and emotional development of players within a rugby programme.

“As the game develops, there must be an intentional effort to have someone who looks after our players’ mental health.”

While it’s clear that the schoolboy rugby train is not slowing down anytime soon, the challenge, as Jooste noted, lies with schools and coaches to start prioritising the uncomfortable reality of mental health.

Behind the fame, results, television coverage, and packed crowds are teenagers navigating the pressures of life.

Photo credits: Poppie Terblanche and Rikus van Wyk