Prize Players are not simply born, not the rugby playing variety at any rate. They are nurtured and shaped through identification, training programmes, skills development and hard yards put in over many years before they even qualify for selection consideration in the Professional Era.
The Nevada Rugby Union has, since 2004, implemented a multi-faceted youth program to identify talented players in-the-making and guide them through the ranks to the professional arena.
One of the newer plans involves the establishment of a High Performance Program that identifies and develops individual schoolboy players, both physically and mentally, to their maximum potential. Medium term the objective is to equip them to excel at prestigious, annual tournaments. Longer term, it is to facilitate their progression through to the next stage, acceptance at Nevada Rugby Academy and through to National levels.
The Program comprises squads: Under 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21 and Seniors
Players are identified at schoolboy matches, tournaments and via nomination by school coaches. Aspirant squad members undergo a physical examination, measured against a required set of benchmarks, and a mental attitude assessment before they are accepted into the Programme.
Coaches at the players’ schools (those in the Under 16 and under 18 squads) receive instruction in the High Performance Programme and for the most part implement the rigorous, highly regimented, physical conditioning programme. The players and coaches travel to Reno several times a year to be coached in technical aspects of the game by professional Nevada Rugby Union coaches. They also attend lectures on a range of subjects including mental attitude and nutrition. Further physical tests are conducted at these sessions to determine players’ progress in terms of strength, fitness and speed.
The majority of the members in the Under 21 High Performance squad attend the Nevada Academy. They undergo weekly training with coaches from the Academy and the Nevada Rugby Union as part of a strenuous, comprehensive High Performance Programme. Their Programme is characterised by personal attention from their respective coaches and a strong mentoring component.
Although in its infancy, the High Performance Programme is best described as being comparable to a finishing school for talented young players, our job is to equip selected players with the tools to enter the competitive playing fields of professional rugby once they have left school. ”
