Garry Schofield to coach South Africa

[The Future is League]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/1...th-africa-coach

[Bulletproof]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/1...th-africa-coach

"Right lads, todays game is absolutely rubbish, and you're not nearly as good as the players of the 70s and 80s. Here's a jar of wintergreen and four orange segments, let's go discuss why the 6 tackle rule was a bad idea."

[jannerboyuk]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/jul/1...th-africa-coach

Good news. We seem to be exporting our more colourful characters.

[steef]

Good news. We seem to be exporting our more colourful characters.

Bad news if you play for the South African national team though.

[T Dub]

Bad news if you play for the South African national team though.

Theres more than enough comment on here doubting that the game exists at all in South Africa.

Does this, and the recent BARLA tour, finally add some credence to the efforts there?

Or is it just easier to mock Garry Schofield for being old school?

[9' oller]

sounds good schoey has a wealth of experience and the climes of J'sberg and durban will be better than south leeds!

next time our lass goes back to her native city i will be treated to a SARL shirt rather than the usual union 'stormers' tripe!

kelly as Ireland coach, goulding in france, schoey in S.A who's up next.... send them aussies home!

[EastLondonMike]

Good luck to schoey.. always thought south africa was a hugely untapped resource.. and a country with huge potential for rugby league..

[Kiwi-Capper_merged]

Or is it just easier to mock Garry Schofield for being old school?

it does seem to be the default setting for some on here whenever Garry's name pops up.

And everyone's always very quick to accuse the media of being lazy when it comes to RL

So regardles of what I think on his views of the game I'd like to wish him luck

[Futtocks]

"Right lads, todays game is absolutely rubbish, and you're not nearly as good as the players of the 70s and 80s. Here's a jar of wintergreen and four orange segments, let's go discuss why the 6 tackle rule was a bad idea."

Surely it'd be more like "Right, hands up anyone from Lancashire or Yorkshire! What, none of you? You shouldn't be playing Rugby League, then. I'd advise you to give up, 'cause it'll never work out."

[Martyn Sadler]

A couple of things slightly irk me about this thread.

One, the story wasn't a Guardian story. It broke in League Express on Monday morning.

Second, the totally unjustified criticism of Garry Schofield that appears on threads like this.

Having sat with Garry earlier this year at the World Club Challenge game, and discussed the match with him as it went on, I can say without any doubt that his insight into the game is as good as that of any other coach I have yet come across. Garry pointed out lots of things about that game that I wouldn't otherwise have noticed.

The idea that he trashes the modern game with reference to when he played is ridiculous. But he isn't afraid to be critical when he feels that players deserve to be criticised.

In my opinion Garry would have been a top coach by now, if he hadn't been thrust into the job at Huddersfield in the early days of Super League when he was too inexperienced for the responsibility he was given.

As we often find in this country, when you get the push from one job, you don't usually get a second chance elsewhere.

But it bugs me to see unjustified criticism of a bloke who always played brilliantly for GB against the Aussies, and probably enjoyed more wins against them than any other player in the modern era.

[deluded pom?]

Garry Schofield has forgotten more about rugby league than 99.99% of the posters on here will ever know about the game. So you don't agree with his views on the game. So what. Best of luck to the guy for having the balls to go out there and have a go. He's also played a huge part in one of my all time favourite rugby league watching memories. Melbourne 1992. I'll just never forgive him for leaving Hull.

[Futtocks]

Hey, my post was tongue-in-cheek, okay?

From what I remember of the story Garry was stitched up more than a bit in his first foray into coaching. Let's hope he can bring the South Africans along a bit.

[Martyn Sadler]

Hey, my post was tongue-in-cheek, okay?

From what I remember of the story Garry was stitched up more than a bit in his first foray into coaching. Let's hope he can bring the South Africans along a bit.

Just to clarify, my post wasn't aimed at your posting, but at the more general tone that you also responded to.

[Exiled Wiganer]

I am sure Garry can stand up for himself, but given the general tone of many of his articles, which seem to this reader at least 1) excessively harp back to his own career as if he were a footballing genius and 2) stick the boot into expansion teams at every opportunity, the thrust if not the tone is justified. Goulding's appointment to the position of France was equally eye catching.

Having laughed at how odd it seems for him to be coaching an emerging nation, I hope he gives it a good go and is a great success. If he then grows to appreciate that emerging parts of the league world need a disproportionate amount of help that would be no bad thing.

[Bulletproof]

Just to clarify, my post wasn't aimed at your posting, but at the more general tone that you also responded to.

Oh for gods sake Martyn get over it.

Garry's moaning is well known within the game, it was a tongue in cheek post and he isn't a precious little flower.

[Millman]

Having sat with Garry earlier this year at the World Club Challenge game, and discussed the match with him as it went on, I can say without any doubt that his insight into the game is as good as that of any other coach I have yet come across. Garry pointed out lots of things about that game that I wouldn't otherwise have noticed.

That's your opinion though, and what do you know?

Does he still shave his sideys right up above his temples?

[The Future is League]

Well in my opinion for what its worth this is Garry Schofields big chance to show he can coach a Rugby League team. i will be disappointed if he can't improve what i consider a poor South African side.

[Odsal Outlaw]

I don't doubt he knows a lot about the game, I also hope he does really well with SA job and wish him the best of luck. However, it is also true that he comes across as a bit of a c*ck in the media. Always talks about himself and when he played and always has a go at just about anything and everything that isnt to do with when he played! If he can coach half as well as he can talk then we should see SA in 2013!

[Padge]

As Murphy became a fading memory for lots of people, Schoey seemed to decide to be the new rent-a-gob self appointed spokesman for RL's 'true fans'.

If he is as knowledgable about the modern game as Martyn suggests then he should try giving us his insight into it rather than his constant harping back to his past.

Maybe he should have a column in League Express everyweek where he gives his insight into a game that week without using "when I".

[jim_57]

Good news for South Africa, not sure whether to barrack for South Africa or USA because only one of them can make the WC but both would be big for the game IMO.

IMO RL is missing the boat with South Africa, that's more aimed at Australian clubs then SL clubs. Last year Roosters signed a South African teenager and I can't see why NRL clubs aren't looking there for some young gems. NRL clubs shouldbe looking to PNG and South Africa a hell of alot more thna they do already, people complain about lack of talent yet there is a country of 6 million who are RL nuts untapped but no club can really be bothered going over and looking for the best. South Africa have alot of juniors who may not fancy their chances of making one of the 4 Super Rugby franchises and be willing to try something new. Do this and in 5 years they is a crop of players from each country coming through which will improve their national teams.

Another thing they should be looking at is staging trial games there with the eventual aim of taking the odd regular season game there. Maybe one of the newly built stadiums will be looking for events to host that's where an NRL club could offer up a game. The most important thing is get trial games there. The Broncos seem to have the strongest connection to South Africa, so maybe them V Storm, Dragons, Rabbits etc or perhaps even get English clubs envolved. How about Wigan V Broncos and market it as "the World's two biggest Rugby League clubs" or something.

FFS the AFL is doing more development work abroad that the NRL and it's clubs...

anyway that's my thinking out loud done.

[Futtocks]

Last year Roosters signed a South African teenager

Although he seems to have already returned to RU, signing for the new Melbourne Rebels franchise.