Kiwis to raid SA schoolboy ranks
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:55
Hot on the heels of reports that Australia's top teams are chasing the signatures of leading South African players, comes the news that a leading New Zealand Academy has set its sights on two of SA's top schoolboy stars.
According to a report on playon.co.za Grey College (Bloemfontein) stars Adriaan Theissinger (the school's No.8 and captain) and Francois Venter (SA Schools centre) have been approached by a representative of the famous International Rugby Academy in Wellington, New Zealand.
Jan-Harm van Wyk, a former Free State Cheetahs wing and now a player agent, said a representative of the Kiwi Academy recently visited South Africa to see Theissinger in action.
The young schoolboy was offered a "very lucrative" contract.
"The Academy immediately offered him a contract for six months," Van Wyk told playon.
"The contract would mostly pay for all his expenses, where after they would decide about his future and further contracts.
"But we have decided that it would be better for him to accept a senior contract from the Sharks. It enables him to immediately be part of the Sharks' structures and as a bonus they also have a very good academy."
Venter made a stop at the Academy in Wellington last year, where the former All Black backline star Bernie McCahill took a personal interest in him.
McCahill and other famous All Blacks - like Murray Mexted, Arran Pene, Richard Loe and Dave Loveridge - named Venter as the best backline player of the Academy's tournament.
Shortly thereafter various New Zealand club teams showed an interest in Venter, who was the best inside centre at the Cravenweek in Pretoria this year.
Venter's father, Evert Venter, confirmed that his son recently also received a lot of interest from the Blue Bulls and the Sharks.
But Venter Jnr is still in Grade 11 and would like to continue his career in the Free State if possible.
These raids by the Kiwis on SA's schoolboy ranks come as no surprise.
Various agents have been scouting for talent at the Cravenweek tournament since last year.
Former Springbok fullback Thinus Delport has been acting as a talent scout for a British university.
And many talent young South African stars have left the country to become internationals in their adopted countries - players like Greg Rawlinson (lock, All Blacks), Clyde Rathbone (centre/wing, Wallabies), Rhys Thomas (prop, Wales), Dan Vickerman (lock, Wallabies) and Mike Catt (centre/flyhalf, England).
However, Cheetahs coach Naka Drotské has sent a strong message to young players in the Free State this year by including a number of teenage stars - three members of last year's powerful Cravenweek team, like Robert Ebersohn (centre), Coenie Oosthuizen (prop) and Wilton Pietersen (utility back) - in his Currie Cup team.
It is hoped this will stem the talent drain from a province that don't have the financial resources to match cash-flush provinces like the Sharks, Blue Bulls, Lions and Western Province.
