RUGBY AT ST CHARLES COLLEGE
AN EXCITING BRAND OF RUGBY
St Charles College has worked extremely hard to put the infrastructure and human capital in place to ensure that we are able to compete confidently in schoolboy rugby, both in and outside of KwaZulu-Natal. We currently play traditional fixtures against all the top rugby playing schools in the province and tour to some of the most competitive Easter and the Independent Schools’ Rugby Festivals across the country, in all our age groups.
Our Rugby Specialist manages and leads the rugby programme at St Charles College which has the aim to develop strong and confident young men by focusing on a strong base of strength and conditioning, skills development and game awareness. The introduction of the “Wilddogs Philosophy” to the rugby programme has added an extra dimension to the teamwork and self-belief of everyone playing the sport. The hard work put in by coaches, players and support staff, as well as the strategic planning for the future is showing signs of being well-rooted in our culture.
Rugby Sevens is one of the fastest growing sports on the Saints campus with both senior and junior age groups each fielding 3 sides. Played in the third quarter of the year, we send U15 and U18 teams to festivals and tournaments around the province every weekend. Rugby Sevens is an exciting brand of rugby, with fewer boys on the field making it a faster paced game. Boys enjoy playing and expressing themselves in the high intensity matches! The aim of our Sevens program is to upskill and develop players for our u15 players.
An addition to the Spring season has been the, intriguingly named, 1% Club where specialist forwards coaching is done with attention being given to the finer arts of playing in the forwards. This also combines an early re-conditioning block for the bigger boys and an early start to their off-season strength and conditioning.
FACILITIES
Our home of rugby is Old Orchards. The field is set in the heart of the College and the amphitheatre surroundings make for an incredible atmosphere on game days. The war cries reverberate off the school buildings. The College is fortunate to have seven rugby fields and can host the Primary and Senior School rugby fixtures at home. The Athlete Development within the rugby programme has grown and boys will be found in the gym on most afternoons putting the hard work to prepare for the season ahead.
PREP SCHOOL RUGBY
Producing, Nurturing and developing rugby players
In the Prep School, we endeavour to equip each boy with the foundational rugby skills and knowledge necessary for him to play a variety of roles within the team as he grows physically and develops in ability. We encourage coaching that teaches our boys to always play with passion for their school, commitment to their teammates and sportsmanship towards their opposition.
Boksmart measures and safety protocols have been embraced at the school as we strongly support the idea of keeping each player safe and helping them to progress safely. Each boy’s progress is carefully monitored to ensure that they are playing at a level that is beneficial to them and within their capabilities.
We field five teams at U13 level, two at U11 and four at U10 and U9. In the Senior Primary our boys train at least twice a week and have fixtures every Saturday morning.
In the Junior Primary, rugby is taught in a safe, sensible and controlled way with the focus being on developing the basic skills and having lots of fun. Our boys are slowly introduced to transitional contact through these formative years. An add on to this will be the work put in through the “Love Rugby” programme.
Our 1st XV boys have the opportunity to attend prestigious rugby festivals over the Easter period. At these tournaments, our teams have consistently set high standards on and off the field of play. An increasing number of our boys have been selected to represent Midlands and Provincial teams. With the vision to further enhance these opportunities, a “Summer Skills Series” has been introduced to the Senior Primary.
We are very proud that many of the boys that leave the Prep School have a love for Rugby and are keen to progress their skills further.
HISTORY IN THE MAKING
