Spencer once wowed at Waiopehu College but wouldn’t now
Small schools can no longer hang onto their stars, reports Ben Strang.
There was a time when New Zealand’s best young rugby players came from smaller schools littered across the country.
Carlos Spencer came from Waiopehu College in Levin. Just 40 minutes south, Christian Cullen carved up for Kapiti College. Chresten Davis attended Morrinsville College.
If those three came through the ranks 20 years later, you’d expect them to line up with Feilding High School, Wellington College or Hamilton Boys’ High School respectively.
Sticking around and playing for your local high school, your local club, is a thing of the past as professionalism takes hold of talented athletes at a younger age.
The 1993 New Zealand Secondary Schools rugby side featured 22 players who attended 19 different schools.
While there was a trio from Gisborne Boys’ High School, the only other school to produce two members of the squad was Waiopehu College.
Spencer and former Manawatu player Daniel Harper attended the decile 2 Levin high school, fierce rivals of Horowhenua College, but it’s hard to imagine them doing the same in this day and age.
Back then, Waiopehu College played in the First XV World Championships, finishing second in 1992. Spencer and Harper were named in the World XV following the tournament.
These days, a small school from a town like Levin would have no hope of competing on that stage.
While some players did still attend the schools we would consider giants of the modern game, such as Auckland Grammar, others came from obscure locations.
Karl Te Nana went to Te Aute College, a former secondary schools rugby giant, Brendon Haami went to Stratford High School in Taranaki, and Henry Peita went to Panguru Area School in remote Northland.
In 2017, the spread of had shrunk despite the number increasing.
Of the 26 players selected in 2017, only 15 schools were represented in the squad.
Six players came from Hastings Boys’ High School and another three came from Hamilton Boys’ High School. Three players were also selected from St Kentigern College, while two each came from players squad St Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton and Sacred Heart College in Auckland.
Most of these schools bring players in from other regions or outside their catchment areas to bolster their rugby programme.
A prime example in the not so recent past is Dane Coles. He attended Paraparaumu College until Wellington College swooped in his final year.
That is now happening at a younger age, with talented youths being ushered through high school rugby academies rather than attending their local school. The days of someone like Carlos Spencer lighting up the local college team appear over.