Scotty's Spin: Why rugby union has no grounds to criticise league for chasing school talent

The curious case of schoolboy rugby union in New Zealand has reared its ugly head once again.

A story out of Stuff today, written by David Long, where the Apex Foundation has ended its sponsorship of the Hamilton Boys' High School 1st XV because the school is prohibiting boys from playing rugby league if they want to play in the 1st XV.

In an email, Hamilton Boys High principal Jarred Williams has said that if a student wants to play in any of their elite teams, you can only choose one sport per season. That use of the word 'elite' itself is ridiculous at school level for any sport. One NZ Warriors CEO Cameron George has said that's a ridiculous thing to do. Now, Graeme Maw of the Apex Foundation is effectively saying 'if that's the case, then I'm pulling away.'

But what's more interesting about this story for me is all the vested interests in our young talent across the footballing codes. Maw obviously has a soft spot for rugby league - 26 players have come through that Hamilton Boys' High School 1st XV system and have gone to rugby league through various academy programs.

We know that the rugby league scouts are sniffing around schoolboy rugby in New Zealand. We know that they operate at a much younger level than rugby does at this stage.

Liam Napier, out of the New Zealand Herald, wrote a huge story during the week about rugby union and the battle against rugby league at schoolboy level - I don't think an agent should be in any school environment, I don't think kids should be getting picked up for contracts at 15-16 years of age.

I think it is patently ridiculous when the adults running professional sport are looking in that young and putting that much pressure on our kids when they should be out there playing for their school, enjoying their time as school kids, both boys and girls, and working their way up through the system.

It's no wonder that club rugby is broken in this country. All the attention is on the schoolboy level and it's on an elite list of secondary schools in this country who put enormous pressure on their kids to play rugby for the prestige of the school, not for the participation in the sport.

It is ludicrous that we are still here when we fund an organisation called Sport New Zealand, which has made it clear that they want balance in every school child's life when it comes to participation in sport.

And yet, rugby union stands there and says that they fear the invasion of rugby league.

Well, let me be perfectly clear about this: right from the very top of rugby union, and I'm talking about the NZRC CEO (the commercial arm of New Zealand Rugby), has already visited schools trying to get them to sign back up with New Zealand Rugby and put their product on the NZR+ streaming platform.

Therefore, rugby union has no grounds to criticise rugby league when it comes to chasing schoolboy talent in this country when the commercial arm of New Zealand Rugby is trying to do exactly the same.

Auckland schools have put a 1A media ban in place and I applaud them for doing so - it's taken heat out of that market and it's allowed these kids to go and play rugby the way they should be playing rugby. Play for your school, play for your community. Don't play for a highlights package on social media and don't play for a broadcaster.

When you are an adult and you want to play professional sport, that's when you'll have your chance in the sun. But every code is in on this, rugby union included, and it's got to stop.

These stories about 1st XV rugby are appalling.

We're also hearing that the Christchurch schools have said to the Selwyn Schools' combined 1st XV that from next year they won't be part of their competition either.

Elitism? I think so - and it's the kids who are going to miss out.

Tune into Scotty & Izzy from 6am to 9am weekdays on SENZ.