The headmaster of Christchurch Boys' High School, Nic Hill, has asked other South Island boys' schools to stop recruiting pupils for their sporting ability, the NZ Herald reports.
Hill wrote to members of the South Island Boys' School Network after warning last month that school rugby risked becoming an arms race driven by money and ego. He said offering a 14-year-old a scholarship because he plays rugby teaches him that talent brings special treatment. So far, he said, the other schools had not signed up, which disappointed him.
Hill said his own school offers no sporting scholarships and is comfortable losing games as a result. Critics have pointed to St Andrew's College, the national First XV champions, over scholarships; Hill declined to comment on it, and the Herald has asked the school for a response.
Source: NZ Herald
