Influence of Secondary School Rugby Playing Experience on Talent Identification for Players in Rugby Clubs in Kenya

Turnbull (2011) statement that the direction an individual’s profession takes is influenced by kind of school attended mirrors the importance of secondary schools in talent identification. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate the influence of rugby players’ secondary schools rugby playing experience on talent identification for players in rugby clubs in Kenya. The following null hypothesis was formulated and tested: that there is no significant difference in the mean rugby talent identification index when the influence of the players’ rugby secondary school rugby playing experience is classified as high or low. Data were collected using Questionnaires and interviews from rugby players (n= 125) and coaches (n=15) during the 2016/2017 Kenya Rugby Union league competition. Data were analyzed through both descriptive and inferential statistics of Chi- square test of independent measures. Results indicate that the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternative hypothesis that there is a significant difference in the mean rugby talent identification index when the influence of the rugby players’ secondary schools’ rugby playing experience is classified as high or low, accepted. The findings consequently reveal that there is no evidence that the rugby secondary school playing experience has a significant influence in talent identification of rugby players in rugby clubs in Kenya. The study however recommends that the school teams should still be used as a pathway for talent identification. There is also need to look into the intra-murals in order to capture those who might not play in the school teams for various reasons. Other studies involving the rest of the socio-cultural attributes that are likely to impact on talent identification like family, coaches, peers, club infrastructure, need to be conducted