Building the future: ‘Data is the new oil’

SA Rugby general manager of participation and development Ian Schwartz chats to SA Rugby magazine editor SIMON BORCHARDT about talent identification, transformation and growing the game.

You spent more than a decade at the Bulls working under coach Heyneke Meyer. How did that shape your thinking on talent identification and player development?

My time at the Bulls shaped my belief that talent identification is about more than spotting ability on a field. You need the best players, but also the best coaches, conditioners, medical staff, analysts and support people around them. Everyone must be aligned around a clear vision and high standards.

Culture is the real competitive advantage. A strong environment must be demanding, but also inclusive enough that players, coaches and staff want to belong to it. I also learned that development is not linear. Some players mature early, others later, so the system must keep widening opportunities and not lose players too soon.

You served as Springbok team manager under Heyneke Meyer and Allister Coetzee from 2012 to 2017. What did that teach you about building successful Test teams?

Those six years taught me that international success depends on having your best players available and enough time together to become a team. Talent is essential, but cohesion, trust and clarity multiply talent.

Rassie Erasmus’ Poni [Player of National Interest] model has helped by improving alignment, player availability and preparation time. He also selects the best South African players regardless of where they play, which creates fairness, depth and a genuinely national squad.

How did the Saru general manager of strategic performance management role come about in 2018, and what did it entail?

After serving as full-time Springbok team manager from 2012, the strategic performance management role became available towards the end of 2017. [Then CEO] Jurie Roux offered me the opportunity and I accepted.

The role broadened my view from managing one team to helping shape the rugby ecosystem. It focused on transformation, inclusivity, strategic data, provincial union performance, reporting and alignment between SA Rugby’s objectives and operational delivery.

Why was the Participation & Development Department created in 2024, and what does your role include today?

The restructure followed a 2024 Exco strategy process that recognised the Rugby Department needed clearer focus and accountability.

The Springboks had to focus fully on remaining world leaders and pursuing another World Cup, while the rest of the rugby portfolio was redesigned into high performance and participation and development.

Participation & Development brought Strategic Performance, EPD [Elite Player Development], community rugby, and training and education into one structure. My role now focuses on growing participation, strengthening pathways, developing players and coaches, driving transformation and building a sustainable national talent pipeline.

What does an inclusive participation base mean in practice, and how do you measure progress?

It means making rugby accessible to every South African, regardless of gender, race, geography or background, and creating opportunities for players, coaches, referees, administrators and volunteers. Inclusion is not just about numbers; it is about meaningful opportunity, retention and progression.

Footprint, SA Rugby’s centralised data system, is critical. It helps us track registrations, movement, club activity, coach and referee numbers, demographics, women’s rugby growth and player progression. Progress is measured through accurate data and whether more South Africans are playing, coaching, refereeing and leading the game.

Why was it important to revive the EPD programme in 2024 after a five-year hiatus, and where does it fit in the pathway?

EPD is the fabric of our national talent pathway. It identifies, assesses and develops high-potential players before they reach the senior professional environment and helps ensure strong national teams.

EPD 1 focuses on ages 15-16, EPD 2 on ages 17-18 and EPD 3, which sits under High Performance, prepares players for professional and international rugby. The return of EPD in 2024 restored a crucial link in the system. In 2025, EPD 1 and EPD 2 were introduced for girls for the first time.

Historically, about 85% of Springboks progressed through EPD, so I am excited about what this can mean for the Springbok Women in years to come.

How do you ensure talented players outside traditional rugby schools are not missed?

SA Rugby is the custodian of rugby, but schools fall under the Department of Basic Education, so our role is to create access and visibility. Programmes such as Get Into Rugby and Vuka, delivered with the SA Rugby Legends Association, take rugby into smaller, rural and non-traditional schools.

Talent exists everywhere: rural villages, township schools, farming communities and emerging regions. Through unions, scouts, coaches, Youth Weeks, girls’ tournaments and EPD, we create a national network to identify players wherever they are.

There is no single route to becoming a Springbok. Our job is to ensure that where a player comes from never determines how far they can go.

How has talent identification changed with data and technology?

It has changed massively. In my early days, scouting was built on relationships, school coaches, word of mouth, long road trips, match footage and instinct. Today, data is the new oil. Video analysis, performance tracking and artificial intelligence give us more information than ever before. But technology has not replaced the scout; it has enhanced the scout. Data shows what a player is doing. Experience helps you judge what that player might become. The best systems combine science and human judgement, because character, resilience and coachability do not always appear on a dashboard.

What progress has been made in women’s rugby, and what still needs to happen?

I am proud that we have already exceeded the Destination 2027 target of a 30% increase in female participation. The challenge now is sustainable growth: keeping more girls in the game and creating a complete pathway from primary school to the Springbok Women.

Professionalising women’s rugby is important, and the Bulls Daisies deserve credit as the first and currently only fully professional women’s team in South Africa.

They have shown what professional coaching, conditioning and support can do.

But you do not build a house from the roof down. We need more girls playing in primary schools, more competitions, more female coaches and referees, more role models and stronger development structures, including the new EPD 1 and EPD 2 for girls introduced in 2025.

SA Rugby has standardised the age at which tackling is introduced, with U5 to U8 players participating exclusively in non-contact forms of the game. Why was that change necessary, and how does it fit into the broader goals of player safety, development and retention?

The decision to standardise contact rugby and introduce tackling only from U9 level was driven by two key objectives: player development and long-term retention.

At the younger ages, our focus is on helping children develop a love for the game. Between U5 and U8, players participate in non-contact versions of rugby that emphasise running, passing, evasion, decision-making and ball-handling skills. These are the fundamental building blocks of rugby and are often best learned in an environment where children can play freely, develop confidence and enjoy the game without the added complexity of contact.

The change is also aligned with international best practice and research, which suggests that young players should first develop physical literacy, movement skills and game awareness before progressing to contact. By introducing tackling at the appropriate age and stage of development, players are better prepared both physically and psychologically.

Importantly, this is not about removing contact from rugby. Rugby is, and always will be, a contact sport. It is about introducing contact at the right time and in the right way. The progression is deliberately structured so that players learn the technical skills required for safe and effective tackling before they are exposed to more advanced forms of the game.

From a retention perspective, we also know that children who enjoy their early rugby experiences are more likely to remain in the sport. Our objective is to create an environment where young players build confidence, develop a broad range of skills and want to come back week after week. If we can help more children fall in love with rugby at an early age, we improve both participation and long-term player retention.

Ultimately, the youth rugby framework is based on a simple philosophy: introduce the right skills at the right age and stage of development. By doing so, we create safer players, more skilful players and, importantly, more players who stay in the game for longer. That benefits not only the individual player, but the long-term health of South African rugby as a whole.

Why is rugby still growing in South Africa, and what are the biggest gaps?

Rugby is growing because it remains deeply rooted in schools, supported by strong clubs, unions and national structures, and inspired by the Springboks. Their success and inclusive culture have made the green and gold jersey something more South Africans can identify with.

At grassroots level, Get Into Rugby introduces more than 200 000 boys and girls to rugby each year, expanding the game beyond traditional strongholds. The biggest gap remains girls’ rugby: retaining girls through their teenage years and giving them enough teams, competitions and visible role models.

Having worked across talent identification, provincial high performance, age-group rugby, the Springboks and now national participation and development, what legacy would you like to leave behind for South African rugby?

It is difficult to answer because I have been fortunate to work across many areas of the game. But if I leave a legacy, it would be helping more people access rugby, especially girls and women, and contributing to stronger national teams in the future.

I have never won anything on my own. Teams win. Players, coaches and staff win together. I was only a link in the chain.

My role has always been to identify talent, recruit good people and help create environments where others can succeed. Trophies gather dust, but opportunities change lives.

Some of my strongest rugby memories are not the great wins, but difficult moments such as the Springboks’ loss to Japan in 2015, because those moments shape you.

If more girls stay in rugby, more communities are reached, and South African rugby is stronger and more inclusive because of the work we did, that would mean more to me than any trophy. Memories fade slowly; lives changed through opportunity never do.

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