Of the 37 players named to Lacy Erasmus’ team due to the rugby championship clash with Australia on August 16th and 23rd, almost a quarter (9) went to Cape Wineland high schools.
The Wineland area near Cape Town is made up of about 1 million people (about 1.5% of the total population), but there are three of the top five schools in the rugby rankings of Pearl Gymnasium, Pearl Boys High and Paul Ruth.
Of the current teams, Willie Le Lou, Edwill van der Melwe and Damian Willems went to Paul Ruth, while Handle Pollard and Grant Williams went to Pearl Gym. That said, Big 3 schools will end everything in the community, not everything. Cartley Arense, Vincent Koch, Wilcole and Canan Moody are also from district schools.
Pearl Boys high head coach Sean Erasmus told ESPN:
“When you look at the migration and the number of people coming from other states (the Western Cape), I think it clearly creates opportunities for talent to be exposed in the Wineland community, but you also have so many talents.
There is no doubt about Cape Wineland’s trends towards homemade talent. Stormers’ Evan Ruth is on the standby list for the Wallabee test, but is one of the most impressive outlooks of the present day.
Paschal Ekeji Jr., who has moved from rugby to American football, believes that Roos could be a successful NFL player with ESPN. Sean Erasmus, meanwhile, remembers him as an impressive track athlete.
“I remember Evan Ruth at school. Over 100kg, he was one of the fastest boys in our school, running 100m.
It is the region’s rugby culture that makes Cape Wineland special and captivates the place’s charm beyond its pure talent.
Two-time World Rugby Player of the Year Peter Slett-F-Dut-itt went to school at Hall School Swartland in Malmesbury. Although technically it is not part of the Cape Wineland area, it is a nearby area with a similar culture where agriculture and rugby are part of the town’s central activities.
Du Toyte’s grandfather, who attended Pearl Boys High, was Springbok.
“I think it’s just raw, natural abilities and people who love the game,” Springbok Lock/Loas, the current Springbok Lock/Loas, said in an interview with ESPN in 202,4 on the Western Cape trends that create rugby talent.
He added: “When we’re back in South Africa now, everyone there wants to play rugby. That’s a culture that’s always been there. I think it’s just a little bit more now.”
It’s not just the current crops where heavy winelands exist. Recently retired hocker Stephen Kitzhuhoe went to Paul Ruth, as well as Huandre Kruger, François Hougard and Charck Brittt. Derick Hougaard, Schalk Burger (both JR and SR), Jean de Villiers, Louis Koen, De Wet Barry and Kobus Wiese also came from schools in the area.
With Rassie Erasmus taking over as rugby director for SA Rugby in 2017 and then head coach, Springboks now includes players from previously overlooked areas, primarily as a result of Apartheid’s legacy.
Sean Erasmus was the first to become the director of rugby under his same name, working as a coach at the National Rugby Operating Association’s SA School when he noticed the shift.
“I think Credit has to go (Rassie Erasmus and his team) and when he started, he started that early player development program.
“With them, there were a few coaches who began identifying talent across the country at the U14, U15 and U16 levels. They got the opportunity to play, and the guys from small schools got the opportunity to attend training camps.
Still, Cape Wineland remains dominant – and the current Springbok team also includes Pearl players who attended Cartley Allend – Paulus Jubert Middle School, who were previously not present in any of the area’s totally white rugby powerhouses.
Outlooks like Arendse exist across the country, but sometimes they are claimed as products rather than school products that were picked up by elite schools and first picked up sports. In Schoolboy Rugby Circles, the practice of one school trying to seduce a player at another is known as “poaching.”
Another of the country’s top five rugby schools is Gray College in Bloemfontein – was reported by South Africa to lose star loose forward Stephen Muller to Pearl Boys High in Erasmus.
The coach added: “It probably sounds rude to say “small school.” I’m not referring to their abilities, just about their size. Small schools have people who want to play in a larger school environment.
“It’s very difficult because you don’t want to be seen as a poacher, but you want to be seen as something that creates opportunities for boys. That’s still the most important thing.”
He added that an open line of communication between traditional rugby schools, small schools and parents is essential.
For young rugby players looking to become Springbok, there are more options than ever when it comes to routes. What remains the same, however, is that Cape Wineland continues to set benchmarks at both the school level and the Springbok level.
Additional report by Tom Hamilton.