SENIOR Cup fever has once again descended. Newspapers offer space afforded no other schools competition and, since publicity generates interest, many people who did not attend rugbyplaying schools will watch as the final unfolds. Indeed, it was with great interest that I witnessed the school which currently employs me receive a 73-0 trouncing from an extraordinarily well-drilled Blackrock side in a recent Leinster Junior Cup match. It was impossible not to be impressed. Blackrock played with enormous power and I have never seen bigger 15year-olds. Those unable to attend could watch the game on Setanta Sports. Never has the gap between the elite rugby schools and the rest been so cruelly illustrated and never have so many had the opportunity to witness it.

This time last year, however, Gerry Thornley of The Irish Times wrote an article outlining a concern many people have harboured for some time. In a study of the Clongowes team that won the Senior Cup in 2000 he found that, by 2005, all but four had retired from rugby. This is an alarming statistic. While it is true that many people stop playing sport as they move into their 20s, the figures relating to the elite rugby schools appear significantly higher. There are different possibilities, I suppose. Some suffer serious injuries, no doubt, possibly before their bodies are sufficiently developed to cope; or perhaps, after the high of competing in the Senior Cup, many feel that they have little else to achieve in the sport. Do the intensive training regimes leave them exhausted? Or could it be that an awful lie has been perpetrated upon them? Are they unable to separate the publicity from the sport? Perhaps they associate playing rugby with the disproportionate response it receives and, later on, when required to play purely for the joy, they find themselves unable to do so.

Their talents, remember, are by and large mediocre. If 450 boys attend a school, then you have roughly 150 between two year-groups. To make a panel of 20 then, you have to beat seven otherd, half of whom are a year younger and may have no interest in rugby.

This does not require outstanding ability. Yet, if you manage it you appear in newspapers and on television, privileges previously the preserve of only the most gifted sportsmen. But there is no fanfare at a third-team match at Barnhall on a wet Sunday in January. .

Let me make one thing clear: the boys who represented Blackrock against The High School reflected nothing but credit on themselves, on their school and on rugby itself. Not only did they play within the rules but also within the spirit of the game. They treated their opponents with impeccable respect. This, from my experience, is invariably the case with any of the top rugby schools. The values these players learn undoubtedly hold them in good stead in later life. And yet there is a case to answer.

For instance, is it right that a schoolboy should be training up to six times a week?

Should he undertake a highprotein diet and weights in order to bulk up? Should there really be any need for a sports psychologist to be involved in a school team? Is it not absurd that a student miss significant Leaving Cert study time through being a member of the SCT?

I am not suggesting that any school is more guilty of these excesses than another.

I mention Blackrock solely because I had the privilege of watching them. But the laws of competition invariably prevail so that once one school seeks an advantage other schools must follow suit or concede the advantage. Perhaps the Senior Cup has become so high-profile noone is willing to concede.

Most of all this question must be asked . . . what value can you put on the winning of a trophy if it comes at a cost to the children who have won it for you?

The case for By Fr Joe Gough

THROUGH playing rugby, schools aim to promote the personal, social, physical, psychological and moral development of their students. As educators we aspire to teach the skills required, as well as developing technical excellence and tactical understanding. In short, we encourage a love for the sport of rugby.

Among the qualities the Senior Cup instils in players are physical fitness, discipline, team spirit, co-operation, decision-making, leadership and, above all, character. Players are also educated in an awareness of proper diet and nutrition for sports. Some of the roles a coach is expected to fill then are sports psychologist, fitness adviser, teacher, strategist and tactical analyst. The Senior Cup thus gives our students an opportunity to represent their school with pride and promotes a school spirit.

The competition annually produces so many good players because of such devotion.

It is best for player development and unit skills. They provide focus for preparation and thus skill level is highly-tuned. They also give schoolboys a motivation to practice and coaches the enthusiasm to prepare their teams.

The Senior and Junior Cup competitions are the shop window for schools rugby in the province, and are the envy of other rugby-playing countries in the world including New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. It is because it is such a great product that schools rugby gets such exposure from the media and why we have Setanta televising schools games in Leinster and the BBC doing the same in Ulster. This publicity can only encourage more young students to take up the game.

For example, the two competitions are divided into four tiers. This allows for an even level of competition commensurate with a school's size and resources. The cup competitions which start in October and end on St Patrick's Day help coaches to focus on developing the players in their squads in a very thorough and professional manner. Great emphasis is placed on developing the skills of each player and blending them into a team game. Success in the schools' game is not, ultimately, best judged in trophies acquired, but in terms of the growth and development of each player.

The Senior Cup is but a small part of what goes on in most schools each year. In addition to Cup squads there is a whole host of rugby on offer to students comprising fixtures at under-13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 age levels. Leagues are played at all levels and abilities. The participation of as many students as possible is vital to the game.

Each year, a vast array of talented rugby players are unearthed for the All Ireland League clubs. Indeed, many of these clubs were formed by 'old boys' of the school. Some of the more talented players go on to represent their province and Ireland at under-18 and 19 levels. Indeed, this ensures our international youth teams are extremely competitive. For example, the Irish Schools team won the Triple Crown last year and has consistently been very successful down through the years.

The rugby-playing schools are the bedrock of the IRFU.

While primarily academic institutions, they also act as 'mini-academies' for the IRFU and this is not often appreciated. Without the support of the schools, Ireland would not enjoy rugby success at any level. It is also worth noting that the vast majority of contracted payers in the four provinces are products of the school game.

Indeed, 12 of the 15 that started for Ireland against Wales at Lansdowne Road last weekend came from rugbyplaying schools. And that was another success.

Schools such as Blackrock are extremely proud of our rugby achievements down through the years and long may that be so.