Mike Hester: NZ Rugby Participation Development Manager on the proposed changes to junior rugby

Junior Rugby is potentially in for its biggest shakeup in decades. 

Under a new proposal, kids wouldn’t play 15-a-side until they reach high school, playing 10-a-side until year 7 and 13-a-side in year 8. 

The changes are aimed at improving enjoyment and confidence levels. 

NZ Rugby Participation Development Manager Mike Hester told Mike Hosking they want to provide opportunities for kids to continue their skill development, so they have the skill sets and experiences they need to play locally or pursue a professional career. 

He says having a smaller side gives younger kids more opportunities to get their hands on the ball and be more involved and engaged with the sport. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Quick word on the rugby high school rugby it's in
for a shake up. New proposal. Kids won't play fifteen
aside anymore until they get to high school. Planners ten
a side up to year seven thirteen aside in year
eight and the participation development manager at the Rugby Union,
Mike Hesters with us, Mike, good morning, Good morning. Jeez.
You love mucking around with the rules and stuff, don't you.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Ah, always looking to innovate and evolve the game.

Speaker 1 (00:24):
What's what's the point?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
So we make these changes to ensure that we keep
kids in the game. We continue to work on that
rugby more appealing and enjoyable, safer, but also providing opportunities
for kids to continue his skill developments so that when
they do reach those sort of late teenage years and
that opt years, that they've got all the skill sets
and experiences in the game sense that they need to

(00:49):
reach the ambition they've got, whether it's to play locally
in the community or to issue a professional career.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
How literally does that play out with ten aside? What's
literally the difference between ten and fifteen.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
What we know is that through modern sports research is
that we want to try and give kids more oportunities
to get their hands on the ball, to be more
more engaged, and obviously the more numbers you have on
the field, it means those opportunities or those manyful minutes
do they're adminished and so when they're going through there
sort of development stages, particularly as they're learning, we want

(01:25):
to try and maximize those minutes. So hence why over
the year groups it gradually grows from sort of seven
a side through to the full fifth manasi is.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
This a proposal or is it a done deal? And
who you're proposing it to.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
We've been implementing changes in the space for the last
five years, so we've done about five the age groups
so far and the last of the changes are going
through in twenty twenty six. The second tranch of work
starts to earn us now with sort of consultation with
clubs and schools and communities around what does it look
like from sort of twelve thirteen, fourteen, and obviously in

(02:02):
our system because we had junior rugby played up to
under thirteen's and then it transitions to largely secondary school
rugby in all places, but mostly then we obviously need
to start engaging with clubs and schools around how that works.
So those proposals will be sharing those with our communities
this year and keen to get their feedback on how
that might be rolled out.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
Good stuff might go, well appreciate it. Mike Hester, New
Zealand Rugby Eyes and the sharly under sevens. As a prop,
and he's right, as a prop. If you saw the
size of me, you go, how did that happen? Anyway,
it was, It was a prop. And while after the
scrum collapsed, because it always collapsed because we weren't very good. Literally,
by the time you got up from the collapse scrum,
the ball would be literally down the other end of

(02:43):
the field and all you do is run for the
next scrum. And that's why I am not in all black,
because it would have been close. Believe me.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
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