Jo Cockburn – captain of Bishops
Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:01
Diocesan College (Bishops) have over the years firmly established themselves at one of the top rugby schools in South Africa. They are coming off two very successful seasons and have started 2008 well. In their captain Jo Cockburn they have an experienced leader who is hoping to emulate the feats of his predecessors.
Jo was born in the London, where his parents christened him Jonathan. Despite having lived in South Africa and been educated at Bishops since he was eight he still talks with a slightly English accent. Jo has two brothers; neither of whom excels at rugby but his father did play some serious club rugby in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).
Jo has played loose forward, more specifically No.8, his entire life and has played in and captained the A-team at every age group level at Bishops since he was Under-10. Unable to make the 1st XV in last year - Bishops had SA Schools skipper Nick Koster in that position - Jo captained the 2nd XV. With Koster nursing a groin for most of the second half of last season Jo did get to start a number of first team games.
This year though he is playing openside flank to accommodate Greg Mallett. Mallett is the son of Bishop’s 1st XV coach Dave Mallett and the nephew of ex-Springbok and current Italian coach Nick. Greg was a star in the 2007 1st XV and Jo was probably more than happy to move aside to accommodate him. This is Dave Mallett’s first year coaching the Bishops 1st XV having taken over from André Jacobs, who resigned to take promotion to the office of Deputy Headmaster of the College.
Jo describes the strength of his play as his ability to link with the forwards and the backs and ensure continuity in his team’s play. The loose forwards are always a key component in any successful Bishops team and Jo says the balance in this year’s loose trio is once again very good. Jo is not the biggest loose forward around but he is incredibly strong and this has assisted him in developing into a more than able fetcher. Like most young loose forwards he models his play on the All Black dynamo Richie McCaw.
This year’s Bishops 1st XV have a strong pack of forwards who Jo says will be looking to lay a solid platform for their backs. Jo describes his backs, who are marshalled at flyhalf by Sam Lane, as slick. Sam is the son of ex-Springbok assistant coach, Australian Tim Lane. Having been at Bishops Prep. Sam returned to Bishops this year and is in Grade 11.
Bishops have played five games already this season, comfortably beating St Alban’s College and Parktown at the St Stithians Easter Festival and easily seeing off St Andrew’s College at home. They lost to a physical Outeniqua side by one point when in Johannesburg and drew (14-all) with Boishaai out in Paarl in their first league game last weekend. Against Outeniqua they were unlucky to miss a penalty in the last minute and against Boishaai, they by all accounts had the better of the game. Jo did say though that he felt his team took their foot off the pedal slightly in stages against Boishaai and that they did not use the wind to their advantage in the first half. As is their custom though Bishops scored two characteristically classy tries.
Jo says his team's goal is to remain unbeaten in the local league and he reckons they have a good chance as they face the rest of the traditional big four at home this year, starting with Boland Landbou on 10 May.
Jo has never represented any provincial teams and says he will not even be attempting to make the Western Province Craven Week team. He will be taking a gap year in the UK in 2009 and then hopes to study there, maybe at Edinburgh University. A natural leader Jo was the obvious choice to lead not only the 1st XV but also his house, Founders, the equivalent of being a school prefect at the College.
Jo is spoken of very highly at Bishops and it seems sad that a leader and gentleman of his calibre will be lost to South Africa. In the meantime, though, Jo will no doubt be looking to leave a lasting legacy on Bishops rugby before he departs these shores.
