Resilience: The Non-Negotiable

I have just got off a Zoom call with a young client and a semi-professional rugby club. The player is by no means a struggler. He has represented Scotland in the U20 Six Nations, and he is physically gifted in ways that some players never will be, no matter how many hours they spend in the gym. He is 2.03m tall and 120kg. He is an exceptional academic and recent university graduate. Back when he was a fresh-faced teenager, he held his own against seasoned international players in full-contact training sessions. He is a thoroughbred athlete.

?His pursuit of a senior professional contract is very much on track. This semi-pro club will put him in the direct eyeline of both Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh, and he is willing to make whatever sacrifice necessary to get there, no matter how unfashionable it may be. He arranges his own flights, his own accommodation with a family member who lives 45 minutes away from the stadium, and he reaches out to local businesses to find some rudimentary work. He is quite content to find a job as a part-time manual laborer while he pays his dues. In fact, he suggested it.

My first thought following this call was whether an outstanding South African rugby talent would do the same. I think of junior contracts, sponsored boots, sponsored supplements for a social media post, bursaries that are taken for granted and ‘boarding school style’ junior accommodation that is considered sub-standard.

In years past, we looked to stories such as Butch James working as a flour delivery man, whilst climbing through the Sharks junior ranks. Butch went on to become one of the legendary hard men of Springbok rugby. But would an U20 player of today be willing to do the same? ??

I think of the professional rugby players that I am acquainted with, who were previously at the Southern Kings. They all received a phone call saying that the franchise was going into administration and there would be no job or paycheck next month.

I think of the current URC players who attended so-called ‘non-traditional rugby schools’ and had to be twice as good as the other players at Craven Week trials, just to get a look in. Or the players who didn’t even make it that far, but somehow still kicked down the proverbial door. The common trait that they all exhibit: Resilience. ??

The South African schoolboy rugby landscape is the envy of the world. The crowds, the passion, the elite level of performance. It cannot be matched, and I would not swop it for any other country in the rugby world. But is there a danger that it is so well structured that it curtails the potential for hardship, grit, and character development?

This is by no means a suggestion that all South African junior rugby players are ‘coddled’ or privileged. That is a feeble, simplistic characterization, given the socio-economic realities of our country. Nor is it a tirade of ‘past generations were so much tougher, both on the field and off’. Gen Z was born into this society, they did not create it themselves.

So, it is up to us to let them fall, get back up, fall again and repeat; each instance compounding their mental toughness. Eighty years ago, teenagers were going to war. By comparison, today’s youth have it far easier, but remember the maxim that ‘The hardest thing that you have ever done, is the hardest thing that you have ever done’. The more insurmountable the hardship, the more resilient the person. Difficult times become relative. Why is Makazole Mapimpi so cool under pressure? Because rugby is a luxury compared to the challenges he has faced.

So, let’s bring this back to the South African schoolboy rugby superstar. The cream of the crop. He has ticked every box since U13 Craven Week. Provinces and agents have come calling, and onlookers have matter-of-factly proclaimed: “He’s a future Bok”.

But suddenly an injury hits, other players catch up, or a provincial coach doesn’t see what all the fuss is about. Is this the first stumbling block that he has ever faced? Does he take ownership of the situation or place blame at the feet of others? Does he drop his head or hold it high with a stiff upper lip. Sometimes the biggest obstacle that a player can face is never having faced obstacles in the early stages of his career.

By all means, let’s develop high performance athletes in high performance environments, with world-class facilities. But let the back-to-back World Cup winning Springbok squad bear testament to the fact that diamonds are made under pressure. And we are doing our young athletes no favours by masking them from the pressures of the real world.?? ??

?This article was originally written for SA School Sports.