BBC Features South Africa’s ‘Springbok Factory’ School

While BBC Sport is currently in South Africa, following England on their (disastrous) SA Tour… they decided to pay a visit to Grey College in Bloemfontein to find out what the recipe is for the Free State school producing 46 Springboks! As they say – it’s something of a ‘Springbok Factory’.

Living up to its reputation, during the BBC’s visit to the Free State school, Old Grey Philip Snyman – Captain of SA’s Rugby 7’s team – just happened to pop in.

He told the BBC: “Everything I know about rugby and about being a human being was because of this school. My roots and foundations are here… It doesn’t matter where I live, if I have a son, I will send him to Grey College.”

The school has produced more South African internationals than any other school. Former attendees include Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk, Olympic swimming champion Ryk Neethling, former South Africa cricket captain Hansie Cronje (whose ashes are at the school) and SA scrum-half Piet van Zyl.

Apparently all their names are on the walls of the First XV change room, but since only First XV players are allowed in the room, van Zyl never saw the list because he only played for the school’s second team. According to the BBC, when van Zyl visited the school in his Springbok blazer, he entered the change room for the first time… and cried.

Headmaster Deon Scheepers revealed to the BBC that at Grey the College “has always been bigger than the individual” and that rugby players devote up to 18 hours a week to the game.

“We certainly believe that you need to work hard in the mornings in the classrooms, play hard in the afternoon, and study hard in the evenings,” said Scheepers.

Rugby director Bobby Joubert told BBC Sport that: “Grey College forms good people. Hard work is one of the pillars of Grey College. We don’t work hard, we work very hard.”

Read the BBC’s full article here.