Former Western Province and SWD backrower Jody Burch is fighting a battle, to help schoolboy rugby players with their well-being.
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The ex-SACS star turned counsellor spoke on The Rugby Factory podcast about the mental health issues brewing in South African school rugby, where teenagers measure their entire self-worth by whether they make SA Schools selection.
The Invictus Irony
There’s delicious irony in Burch’s CV. The proud South African played an All Black extra in Invictus—the film immortalising the Springboks’ 1995 World Cup triumph over New Zealand.
“I was playing in the first Cape Town Tens when some people came up and asked if I wanted to be in a movie,” Burch recalled on the Rugby Factory podcast with Andy Daniel. “They asked me if I would be willing to cut my hair for a starring role, and I said no. They asked me to be an extra—it was awesome. Met some awesome people, Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon.”
When Fear Becomes Shame
“I overheard a group of boys saying that if they don’t make SA Schools, there is no professional career in rugby,” Burch revealed. “That pressure, whether it’s self-inflicted or coming from the outside, that’s where we need to look to make it better for them.”
Now working at SACS as a counsellor, he identifies fear of failure as the root cause of the problem but it’s morphed into something more sinister.
“They are so hell-bent on the fact that they can’t fail that the fear has become shame,” he said.
Social media amplifies every mistake, every poor performance, every missed selection. One bad game lives forever online, dissected by keyboard warriors.
“Players don’t celebrate their teammates because they are afraid he is getting ahead,” Burch said. “That is what social media has done, it gives you a platform to put yourself on a pedestal.”
Predatory Agents and System Failure
Then there are the agents, circling like sharks around teenage talent, sliding into direct messages with promises.
“These agents have licence to contact the kids through DMs. I think they should speak to the parent,” Burch said. “These guys can manipulate these youngsters into thinking if they don’t sign straight away, they don’t have a future.”
There’s precious little governance to stop it, and no safety net for players who don’t sign contracts.
“I’m not saying the system is completely broken, but it needs to be adjusted to take into consideration the emotional maturity of these guys,” Burch said.
At SACS, Burch works on consolidating identity beyond the rugby field, teaching self-respect, self-compassion, and self-balance. He’s equally focused on educating coaches about the different emotional identities sitting in front of them.
“Ten years ago words weren’t as impactful as they are now,” Burch said. “Everything now has meaning, everything carries weight.”
Jody Burch is trying to ensure schoolboy rugby players don’t walk away from life because they couldn’t handle being extras after being stars.
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