In past years, a typical First XV rugby player's calendar might look something like this: training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, game on Saturdays.
Most other activities necessary for a successful education, however, might not have attracted the same attention and priority.
At Wellington's Scots College, a First XV player's diary looks more like this: Homework Club on Mondays and Wednesdays, training on Tuesdays and Thursdays, game on Saturdays – and, every day, living up to the values and responsibilities of being selected for the school's premier rugby team.
It's all part of a big change in New Zealand's First XV landscape over the last few years – with schools increasingly focusing on "better people, not just better players", according to a new in-depth study. It examines the philosophy and practices surrounding First XV rugby in 13 boys' and 5 girls' schools by NZ Rugby World magazine, backed by Jaguar Land Rover NZ, sponsors of many school First XV teams around the country.
Scots College deputy principal, senior school, and First XV manager Jason Laverock says the Homework Club is just one example of the changes that apply in Scots College and many other schools round the country as they bring to life the "better people, not just better players" concept.
"The Homework Club primarily brings the boys together, 3.30-5.30pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, under the guidance of an experienced and respected teacher, Claire Hall. She helps them with homework or assessment work, they can ask questions to understand what the task is and how to complete it – and it helps their sense of togetherness as well."
It also helps teachers monitor the players' schoolwork – part of a deal adopted by many schools round the country which essentially says: Succeed at schoolwork and selection for the First XV follows; if schoolwork or behaviour is lacking, boys can be stood down until they catch up.
But Laverock says the life lessons being applied run deeper than that. The school has identified a set of values for First XV players, visualised in a rectangular icon containing words like: Excellence, pride, gratitude, humility, courage – and displayed on the players' training tops, hoodies and in the dressing rooms.
"This icon is also on all our correspondence between school and home so that our parents and caregivers are on board too," he says. "Pre-season, the players and leadership visit these values and define the actions we expect to see associated with each of the values. We use these as reference points for match day preparation and after-match reflection and debriefing."
"Values" can be a vague concept – a collection of words that have little practical application – so Scots College makes sure the players understand and can express those values.
"We ask them to identify the behaviours behind those words," says Laverock. "One of our values is the word 'supportive', so we ask them to tell us and show us what that means to them. It might mean, for example, one of the boys gets up and shows us his social calendar – and how he is giving up going out on some occasions, because the team comes first and he wants to support that.
The word "strength" is another value, says Laverock: "We don't just mean on the field. We've had boys stand up in front of their peers and show that you show strength by being accountable for your actions.
"The players understand that to play for the First XV is an honour and privilege – and we expect them to demonstrate their pride in the team by the ways they conduct themselves around the college. Players who fall below that line can expect to be dropped or to start off the bench.
"Of course, we want to produce a team which enjoys its rugby and wins – but we are also conscious of our responsibility to help grow good young men and good citizens and look after the wellbeing and mental health of our group."
It means, says Laverock, instilling values and ownership of responsibilities in boys who leave school knowing how to be model students and citizens "and who know there is more to rugby than just rugby – and more to life than rugby."
That was brought home at the dinner after a recent quadrangular tournament involving Scots College and three other First XVs. One of the speakers was former Scots College rugby star TJ Va'a, whose Hurricanes Super Rugby career was badly interrupted by injuries.
But Va'a is also a business analyst at global professional services company Deloitte – and, according to Laverock, delivered a powerful speech: "Here was a young man opening up [about his injuries] and being really vulnerable in a sport where being vulnerable is not an easy thing.
"He told us how he came to a low, low point when he felt the career of his dreams [a professional rugby player] had been snatched away from him. But he was also able to demonstrate that the skills and character he developed as an athlete were transferable and the time he put into his studies helped him build another career.
"It was a good lesson for our guys – that your sporting career could end suddenly and that they need to embrace the value, work ethic and character that we talk about all the time – so that they can be successful in whatever walk of life they end up in."