Agents on alert as Springbok stars of tomorrow perform

Among the crowds were representatives from the major South African rugby franchises, trying to spot future stars and sign them.

South Africa have won the Rugby World Cup a record four times -- in Johannesburg in 1995, in Paris in 2007 and 2023 and in Yokohama in 2019.

While many observers point to huge forwards as the key to success for the Springboks, a superbly run schools system is the conveyor belt that gives national coaches a continuous supply of stars.

On a scorching early southern hemisphere autumn day, a Grey College training session concludes with an unusual chat.

"If agents ask you for meetings, let us know, we only want what's best for you," says team manager Stefan "Putu" Pretorius.

This high school in central city Bloemfontein has produced the most Springboks (31) since 1992, when apartheid-induced isolation from international rugby ended.

Among those who "graduated" to the Springboks were two double world champions, utility back Francois Steyn, who was in the 2007 and 2019 teams, and scrum-half Cobus Reinach (2019/2023).

Grey College are competing until Tuesday at a rugby festival amid the winelands of Stellenbosch, a town 60 kilometres (37 miles) inland from Cape Town.

The festival is being held for the first time in Stellenbosch, which is sheltered from the passage of time by typical Cape Dutch colonial architecture.

Four Grey stars have already signed contracts with franchises or sealed verbal agreements -- their futures assured with the Bulls, Lions or Sharks.

The Bulls are based in Pretoria, the Lions in Johannesburg and the Sharks in Durban. Together with the Stormers in Cape Town they form the "big four" franchises.

The Grey star is centre Ethan Adams, 18. Heralded as the greatest talent of his generation, he already has a nickname, "The Tank," clips of his best plays are big hits on social media, and he has nearly 20,000 Instagram followers.

"We work hard and then we have fun playing," says the physically formidable back.

"The franchises watch us... on TV," says fly-half Jan-Hendrik van der Linden, who led bible study sessions before they played.
Proud fathers
"High schools already recruit at the under-13 level. They distribute scholarships -- that's the main way they acquire players," agent Marais Schmidt told AFP.

This is less true of Grey College, where tradition runs deep with many fathers, who were former schools rugby players, proudly watching their sons follow in their footsteps.

"If you're a former Grey player, it's a dream to see your son play for the first team," says 50-year-old JB van den Berg as he watched son Benjamin, a winger, in action.

"Grey offers more opportunities than a smaller school. If you play for a good team, you're more likely to get an opportunity," adds Schmidt.

The team's coaching staff includes three former Springboks. Tiaan Liebenberg handles the line-outs, Wian du Preez the scrums, and Helgard Muller the backs.

Adams was spotted while captaining an under-13 team at his modest school in the Eastern Cape.

Full-back/winger Lamla Mgedezi, another star of the team and scorer of three tries against Noordheuwel, a school from Krugersdorp in Johannesburg province, also received a scholarship to join Grey.

Tuition fees at the Bloemfontein college are nearly 10 times the median monthly salary in the country.

"He's a long way from home, but it's great that a boy like Lamla has the opportunity to attend Grey College," explains director of rugby Bobby Joubert.

"He's a role model for many and a great kid."

Originally from a township near Cape Town, the 16-year-old could replicate one of those Siya Kolisi-style fairytales that South Africa craves.

Born in an impoverished Eastern Cape township, Kolisi caught the eye of a scout, won a scholarship, and went on to lead the Springboks to back-to-back World Cup titles.

The flanker was the first black to captain South Africa in a Test match, leading a team that for many decades included only whites.

"There's work to be done, depending on the schools and where they're based," explains Mziwakhe Nkosi, a coach at the Lions, who was in Stellenbosch to view the talent.

"Rugby has a long way to go to provide a large pool of players in terms of development. Let's hope things improve," he said.