CNI Could be the Best Comp in NZ….

This is something that I have been thinking about over the last few years and really think this could happen “IF” every school gets on board with it, this is a hypothetical so dont get to emotional when commenting and just read to the end. New Zealand Rugby Competitions are very very highly skilled and have so many talented players that come from them. 1A which is the top Auckland School have taken the top spot overall most years with the Super 8 close behind which is 8 boys schools in the Central part of the North Island. Wellington Comp is also right there a long with the UC Comp which produces a lot of very skilled players that break out onto the scene through out the year. Then the further we go down we have the Otago BHS and Southland BHS power houses and then the Otago Comp which Kings HS and John McGlashan College have taken control of this year.

So when looking at these comps and teams they are all really the Traditionalist Rugby schools of New Zealand and they provide the most talents. Then a few years back the Central North Island Comp (CNI) started combining all these Private schools together and having them all come together and form their own Comp. Word was that when the CNI was made in 2012 that people thought that it was going to fall through and it would become anything at all and for me they were the 3rd best overall Comp in NZ behind the Super 8 and 1A. For me they had 5 top teams who could actually go out and beat the bigger boys schools around the country and even though the other 5 teams were’nt as good they have players that are really building up this year and are looked at to be strong next year and the year after. Here are all the CNI teams if you don’t know

Wesley College (Counties)(CHIEFS)
St Paul’s Collegiate (Waikato)(CHIEFS)
St Peters School Cambridge (Waikato)(CHIEFS)
Francis Douglas Memorial College (Taranaki)(CHIEFS)
Wanganui Collegiate (Wanganui)(HURRICANES)
St John’s College Hastings (Hawks Bay)(HURRICANES)
Te Aute College (Hawks Bay)(HURRICANES)
Lindisfarne College (Hawks Bay)(HURRICANES)
Fielding HS (Manawatu)(HURRICANES)
Rathkeale College (Wairarapa)(HURRICANES)

I think the CNI is in the best position, they have the right assets, strong traditions and great group of teams put together to be the best Comp in NZ, “YES I SAID IT!!!” the BEST comp in NZ and here is how they can do it and it is a Comp commitment if it was to happen as well.

Here is the thing though, when I talk to kids from around the country they want to be at the best schools, the ones that are winning in something, one that they want to be proud of and claim. You don’t think everyone from Hastings BHS aint walking around with an extra length in their stride? little more “Pimp” in that step? Come on now, those dudes have a whole year of bragging of that they are the best Rugby team in the country, until they are not but they have a whole 10 months of that so yes boys from Hastings ride that out to the fullest. Here in Hamilton a lot of boys want to go to Hamilton BHS because they rule in almost everything around here, hell if they had the best “Rock, Paper, Scissors” Team in the country, they would make a song and sing that till it’s no longer true. The point Im making is that kids want to be apart of winning and parents want their kids to also be apart of that too and CNI can be that 100%. Here is how.

They have some things in their favour that everyone else struggles with and that is money, the CNI teams have the money and almost all of the schools have a lot of it, but like I said it’s a commitment thing. The money is something every school wished they had but just don’t, these schools all being somewhat Private schools they do have that opportunity to gain access from it, this is who they will need to convince to get that funding. The rugby team, Sports Developer, Principle, Board President, Board Members, President of the Alumni, the Cafe Lady, the teacher aid, Batman, all 3 Migos members everyone that has a say into where some of the money goes to has to all be on the same page in wanting the Rugby Program to be a power house in NZ. They will all need to want this to be successful and a priority. This is not an easy thing to accomplish because some people just don’t care about rugby in that way and that’s understandable, however for me and what I have seen going to schools and talking to coaches and kids when your 1st XV is doing well so is the school. So lets say that everyone has given the OK this is the next step.

People seem to think that if you recruit the best players your going to win, that is not the case at all because you only have players for one or two years so it’s more about the coaches. When you have Coaches and I mean good Coaches not just your dads mate he played with in Club 10 years ago and he did a big hit, I mean a real coach who knows how to work with growing talent. Coaches/Teachers are the best to hire because they know how to work with people and they tend to treat them like people and positions or players with numbers on the backs. When you have good Coaches and I mean Coaches from U14 up to 1st XV all working to build a Rugby Program all with the same purpose. I have spoken about this before where you teach the same system to everyone from U14 up to 1st XV so that its second nature to the player. So these school would need to come up with something like this St Peters School, Wesley College, St Pauls, Feilding HS, Wanganui, Francis Douglas all have very good coaching staffs that are putting this into work that I know of for myself. Lindisfarne College always have that two or three year gaps then have a strong team, Te Aute College are making their way back and it will take time but they are working towards that with a Coaching Staff coming through and St Johns Hastings doing the same. Honestly I am not sure about Rathkeale College in terms of Coaching but I do know they have some real talent in that team and in the younger age group too.

When it comes to recruiting you have to recruit young like in the U14’s and U15’s to add to the talent you already have in your school. When you recruit young you can get them into your system quicker and the Coaches get to know the kid as well and also they will not be a part of the 6 New players to the 1st XV rule which is you have 6 New players to your school over 2 years and you can spread that out however you want, but it can be only 6 in 2 years. If you get them when they 14 and 15 then they wont be apart of that number and you can play them as Year 12’s and they wont be counted as one of the 6 players. Now to some this might be new but this is how it is done and for me it’s a better way for the kid to have most of his years in one school rather then go somewhere for the last year in terms of education. So we the money done, Coaching and the Recruiting and so the last thing would be the Pre Season and Traditional games.

This maybe one that most don’t think of but games you play should always be of some benefit to your team, don’t play to many easy teams that you blow through them and you don’t get to learn about where you need work on in your team. Playing teams that are to hard set a bad feeling of failure to early in your season that the boys would most likely not know how to play themselves out of that slump and could almost kill your own season. I would schedule games against teams that will most likely be at the same level as you and also make sure they are a big all Boys School that is traditionally good every year. They will provide you with a hard fought game but not a blow out, they will force your older players to step up and show the team that they are putting in 100%, your team will have that boost of confidence as well as self belief they can take on all boys schools.

Like I have said over and over again if all these things could line up right for every school in the CNI they will be the best High School Rugby Comp in NZ, better then the Super 8 and 1A. In the last few years they have already proven they have players that can compete with the best in the country. This year they had George Dyer and Sam Cooper from St Paul’s Collegiate and Tupou Vaai from Wesley College make the NZSS team. Last year Laghlan McWhannell from St Peters School, Vilimoni Koroi and Moji Dawai from Feilding HS make it last year into the NZSS. In the Barbarians this year they had James Thomas, Peni Finau, Ollie Norris from St Peters School, Fergus Burke and Luke Donaldson from St Pauls Collegiate and then Josiah Maraku Feilding HS. This is a very very new comp but they are already producing some of our best talents and that’s with out really putting a lot of resources into it as a whole competition, imagine if they did?

I am not saying this is going to happen because it’s not BUT if it did, you all should watch out cause the CNI Comp would be the new 1A and everyone would be flocking to those schools to make it big.