The Rugby Player’s Pivotal Milestones

Before we consider anything else it’s probably necessary to understand some milestones players go through in their rugby lifetime.

Numerous mental and physical changes occur throughout adolescence, and this brings about the biggest challenge for teens. It is a life changing period for them - they evolve as people and begin to think differently about the world.

In rugby, changes to their bone structure as well as core strength and speed all impact their style of play.

Thus, we all need to consider not only the players’ physical needs but also their social, emotional and cognitive needs.

To simplify this, I’ve broken the rugby lifetime down into three stages: Default, Risk and Reward, and the Staying Connected stage.

THE DEFAULT STAGE

This stage is generally when players are at primary school and when parents drive engagement - they decide whether their child will play rugby.

It is the age they want to be like Dad or Mum, an older teen, or one of the All Blacks. Their motivation to play is driven by individual aspiration rather than team focussed, and they need to enjoy themselves.

Parents are the enablers and there is usually a big family influence. It helps a lot if the family is a traditional rugby family - it was clear from the research that children whose families were involved in rugby were more likely to play themselves.

At this age the individual is looking for approval and if they have any older siblings, mimicking them is common. It is also a time when their sizes, skills and ability are all at different stages. Often the “man-child” on the scene dictates play and depending whether he is on their team may influence their motivation to play rugby.

There is also on-field confusion about their role and what to do on field. They want clear instruction on what to do at various points of the game and the initial emphasis needs to be aimed at individuals, rather than a team-orientated approach.

At this stage, a rugby team is a bunch of individuals rather than a team, and it needs to be treated as such. We need to shift the focus from the micro to the macro – once they each understand their roles, focus can shift to the team.

Again, teens at this stage will look to parents for guidance, rather than the coach.

“Tell me what to do when I get the ball!”

You need to understand the expectations of the individual. Not getting this right initially will delay development, cause avoidance, or a ‘get out of the way’ mentality. Expectations of the team on the other hand comes after they understand their own place in it.

“In younger rugby I didn’t really enjoy it. I was probably sitting at the back, picking daisies as my parents said. I started to switch on and enjoy it and had a really good go at it. I think what changed was that I could understand the more set rules, whereas in under 7’s and under 9’s it didn’t really click for me. I was probably standing there doing nothing. But when I got up into the older grades I felt like I could play a position and I knew what I was doing.”

“The first couple of games I probably felt a bit out of place because it was touch back then and I didn’t really understand the rules and couldn’t kick it at all and it was just a bit much to get your head around.”

RISK AND REWARDS STAGE

Players graduate to the risk and rewards stage is after gaining a deeper understanding of the game and their role in it. Motivation at this stage usually ignited through a sense of pride and achievement and the individuals usually have a “risk and rewards” mentality. Luckily, rugby is a form of structured risk taking and reward.

Just think of all the ‘dumb’ things teenagers do or think back to what you did – this is what we mean by risk and reward.

Coaches drive engagement to the game; thus, they are the enablers at this stage.

Physically boys start to even out, as the later developing boys catch up in size and weight to those that grew out early.

At this stage the game becomes more team focussed, introducing all the great values rugby has to offer. The game becomes more of a social occasion, as the team bonds and socialise at post-match get togethers.

The team becomes more important than the game but there is still an individual need for personal improvement.

Teens at this stage want adults to act as enablers and then get out of the way at game time.

This is the stage teens are most in danger of dropping rugby in favour of other interests, but it is potentially the most rewarding for teens who stick it out.

Playing rugby is a chance to be a part of something – a brotherhood - and pride in achievement and teamwork becomes a necessity. But rewards and responsibilities have to be earned and shared equally.

Teens begin looking to coaches for guidance rather than parents, which may cause tension between parents and coaches.

A good point to remember if you are a coach or parent on the side-line: be careful what you say. Better yet – say nothing!

Teens don’t want parents coaching from the side-lines or parents selfishly trying to dictate the game, calling the shots from the side-lines.

“You feel like you’re part of something, like to belong to a team so you can enjoy it.”

“Some people are better than others and they get all the credit sometimes and you really don’t get much. Sometimes teams only rely on certain people to get the job done. So, you’re jealous of that player and rely on them and will move out of their way and let them do it all. So, you’re not having a go.”

STAYING CONNECTED STAGE

Engagement is self-driven at this stage because other factors like jobs, studies and family creep into the mix. But staying connected to the game and their mates is still high on the motivation scale.

However, transitioning from school to club rugby and starting again with a new team with unknown players often affects their balance and the rugby pathway can be fractured.

The Staying Connected stage does have a big fall off rate in participation, particularly when boys leave school. But if they are still playing now we usually see these individuals grow into a fan of rugby for life. The drop off continues, but it is far more gradual.