There is no doubting that the Springboks are a team in great form right now and a large part of this has to go down to Heinrich Brussow. For the first time in a while, the Boks now have a ‘fetcher’ who has shown us that he can even match, if not better the best in the business in Richie McCaw. This coming weekend he will have arguably an even sterner test when he is up against Australia’s George Smith and David Pocock.
But what does the great form of Heinrich Brussow mean to the future of Schalk Burger, the man whose jersey he took? Let us not forget that Burger was the darling of SA Rugby not too longer ago. An name that would be first on the coaches team sheet. This is a guy with 50 test caps under his belt and was named IRB World Player in 2004. Brussow has gotten his chance to make the number 6 jersey his own due to Burger’s eight week ban from the game for his eye gouging during the Lions Tour. Brussow came in to replace Burger and he has looked amazing. He has just added another dimension to the Bok game at the point of break down. Brussow may not be as big as Burger thus you do not see him crashing the ball up but his low center of gravity is what has enabled him to become one of the best in the business.
Brussow may only be 23 years old but he looks like he has been in the game for years. What I would like to find out from you is what you think is going to happen when Burger’s ban is over and he is legible to be selected for the Boks again? Does PdV stick with Brussow or he calls back Burger? There is no doubting that PdV has two quality players at his disposal to choose from. But then again with Burger’s injury problems, PdV may not have much of a decision to make in Burger maintains his injury proneness.
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21 comments
Mozie says:
Aug 4, 2009
ron I think if anything burger must fight for the position, so I think brussouw must wear the number 6 jersey. I however think burger is destined for number 7. I know most guys on this forum are going to disagree but just think of the combination burger and brussouw will make. nothing against smith but I don’t see why boks should not try burger and brussouw at 7 and 6 respectively.
other than that burger must not be dropped because he can cover both positions. word is he can even give kanko a run for the number 8. these are green days for boks
Mozie says:
Aug 4, 2009
when I said burger @ 8 I was not over looking spiece. I meant coming from the bench. over the years the ab’s had such a good bench which won them tight games when they came on. I am not saying boks must select their teams based on the bench approach. but a healthy bench won’t hurt. players like burger might as well start fighting for places on the bench if needs ne…
Guru says:
Aug 4, 2009
While I have all the respect in the world for Burger, I will maintain that if something is not broken, do not fix it. Schalk should just start from scratch and work his way up. The Tri Nations is such a tough competition that a team cannot win it with 15 players. You need a good crop of about 25 players. Schalk will just have to settle for coming off the bench and playing his way back into the starting line up. However, it can only be for Brussouw’s jersey and not Juan Smith. That’s becasue Juan is a flanker that does the hard work off the ball. Yet Schalk likes to play towards the ball just like Brussow. Havimg Brussouw and Schalk on the park at the same time is too risky becasue they are similar players. Mozie, you are under estimating Juan Smith’s value in the tight play bro. He does all the donkey work, keep an eye on him vs the Wallabies. He is an extremely important cog in the machine.
Fraz says:
Aug 4, 2009
I don’t think anyone can disagree with how epic a debut brussow has had….the guy is like a jack russel that just won’t let go of the stick!!! He can make a tackle and then get to his feet with 3 guys on his back!! and to match up and even outplay mccaw in his 2nd game against the ABs ever is no small feat.!!
I honestly believe that with this guys scavenging ability the boks tight game plan and increased pressure forces players of mccaws quality and experience into desperate play and penalties follow……which equates to points on the board!
But old schalk i think with some time off needs some humble thinking an bench warming for sure to bring him back to earth, and force him to go back to the style and passion that got him world player of the year….. and if that happens we will have an impact player of devastating proportions to bring on for the last 20-30mins.
But unless brussow somehow faulters, as I also believe players can run hot which he is right now and very quickly cool off, then he is indespensble to this team.
Kambas says:
Aug 4, 2009
Mozie, i beg your pardon, did you say smith should move onto the bench so as to create space for burger? that is just blasphemy man. smith, like guru pointed out is an extremely valuble cog in the bok machine and his skills off the ball are second to none in the world.
burger needs to regain his form in the currie cup and miss this tri nations he has not hit his best form in over a year and he needs to be dropped or even go overseas and try and regain his form there. but up to now he doesn’t deserve to even sit on the bench of the boks.
kanko played a corker of a game this past weekend and as such i think deserves to be on the bench ahead of danie roussouw as a flank if you ask me.
Mozie says:
Aug 4, 2009
wow… kambas!!!! lol that’s passion mate. I will not doubt one bit how much romance you and guru feel for juan’s work. I just would like to see burger and brussouw. I agree though juan has not done much wrong to deserve the boot. I’ll loose this one 2-1.
Ron says:
Aug 4, 2009
Going slightly off topic a bit, do you guys remember Marty Holah from New Zealand. Brussow reminds me so much of him. It is a pity Holah came through at the same time as Richie McCaw otherwise the game would have made a name for himself. Can you just imagine if Schalk never got injured or banned, we may never have gotten to see the full potential of Brussow.
Mozie says:
Aug 4, 2009
ron, my biggest fear about pdv is his way of thinking. it took a pathetic kicking display to put ruan on the bench last week dispite one, morne’s excellent display in the s14 and two, his series winning performance against the lions. brussouw was the best no.6 for sa teams in the s14, in my view anyway yet was only called in the boks’ side as a late replacement.
I don’t know much bout that fella from new zealand but I am not suprised he did not make the new zealand side, mcCaw is good. however I always thought the ab’s teams were based on the idea of having impact players coming on in the second half to consolidate on the damage already built by the starting 15 or get the team to save waters when the sea is rough. could he not have made the bench at least?
Martin says:
Aug 5, 2009
I think that Juan Smith should hold his #7 on the blindside….exactly what buddy said up there he is the cog in the machine…he makes very few errors if any and is regarded as the best blindside flanker in the world. taking him out would be dumb….mozie…i like what u are getting at about a combination of openside flankers…but the thing is look at France…best defensive openside flanker in the world Thierry Dusautoir and an average openside Ouedraogo…france’s backrow is terrible because of this combo.
this is what i think about the springboks backrow…6.brussouw 7. smith 8 spies…the subs should be kankowski…burger on the bench. burger is what 6’3-6’4 and 235-240lbs give or take…hes a solid guy that can fill in for the second row position for matfield…kanko has great pace but not the weight compared to burger which i would say is a great substitute for smith or spies…i mean matfield is great in the lineouts he owns them…but around the field hes slow…burger coming in for him would be having 4 backrow players on the field.. except for in scrums which are 30 seconds….
if burger can make a huge comeback and win that 6 jersey by all means let him have it…but for now i would stick him as a sub and into the second row…
btw i think brussouw is tiny hes 5’9 at the most and i wouldn’t say 100kg more like 92-94kg in there…but never the less a solid player
Ron says:
Aug 5, 2009
I would have to disagree with you there Martin about having Burger on the bench as cover for the second row. I do not think Burger has ever played lock in his life. You need to have a specialist lock on the bench. What if Botha or Matfield get injured in the first minute of the game and then you have to have burger playing 79 minutes of the game as a lock? That would not work especially come scrum time. There is no way I can see PdV having both Kanko and Burger on the bench.
Guru says:
Aug 5, 2009
YEs, i remember MArty Holah ROn and he would have started rfo any other nation becasue he was that good. Unfortanuately he found Richie at his very best. Regarding the Bok loose forward combination, I there are only 2 spots up for grabs being open side and 8th man. Juan Smith’s position has been booked barring injury. What amazes me about Juan is the fact that since roughl;y 6 months before the world cup until now, he has been the most consistent rugby players in SA if not the world. He truly is an unsung hero. Mozie you are right, I swear by Juan Smith and unless he has broken both legs and lost an eye, I will never replace him with a anyone is world rugby today, he is the best blindside flanker in the world and has been for the past 2.5 years.
If I had it my way, the bok loose forwards would be Juan Smith, Heinrich Brussouw and Spies/Kanko (depending on opposition). On the bench I would have Schalk (covering both open and blind side. Th good thing about this is Juan Smith, Kanko and Spies can all be used in the lineouts.
Mozie says:
Aug 5, 2009
guys do we love burger so much that we are looking for space for him everywhere? but its clear Brussouw has arrived and stamped his authority. you can’t replace experience but even ledgents have to be replaced.
Manny says:
Aug 5, 2009
The way I see it, Burger is perfect to have sitting on the bench because he can be cover at 6,7 and 8. As Guru said, Kanko and Spies will share the starting responsibilities at 8 depending on the opposition and the tactics to be used. Imagine bringing on Burger with all his energy in the last 20 to 30 minutes as Fraz said?
My basic argument here would be that you have seven players on the bench covering 15 outfield players. This necessitates players on the bench who can cover several positions; I have noticed that the Wallabies have used this tactic for a while now; (although the Pocock/Waugh/Smith conundrum has caused a re-think).
Players like Burger, Ruan and Danie Roussouw are perfect to have on the bench because they cover more than one position.
It’s almost like in basketball where the “6th man” is almost a specialist position in itself.
Guru says:
Aug 5, 2009
Mozie, Schalk may not be in his best form ever but you cannot write that monster off mate. As the general sentiment on this forum suggests, you cannot get a better impact player coming off the bench than the Incredible Schalk. I agree with Manny 100%, in Burger and Ruan PDV would have at least 6 positions covered just by those 2 players. The problem PDV has at the moment is a very good one to have. So much talent around with only so many positions to fill……………….
Ron says:
Aug 5, 2009
Guru, “So much talent around with only so many positions to fill”, you better hope PdV doesn’t fall into the Graham Henry trap in not knowing who his best XV are.
Guru says:
Aug 6, 2009
Good point Ron, as long as he has a definite starting 12 and just 3 positions where he rotates players then he should be fine. Problem comes in when you have 28 players being used on a ratation basis a la All Blacks in 2006 and 2007. PDV will be able to rotate Brussouw and Burger, Spies and Kanko, Fourie and JAcobs and that’s it. The rest of the positions should not be changed and the boks will dominate world rugby for the next 2 years.
pilferer says:
Aug 6, 2009
I think that without any question that Brussouw is South Africa’s top openside flanker.And to have played McCaw two weeks in a row is not easy.Yes,some would argue that McCaw came from a knee injury but personally that is just an excuse to protect his reputation.The fact still remains that he was one better then McCaw,or should i say two(lol). Burger will always be a valuable player to the Boks but personally I have never ever seen him as an openside flanker. In almost all the games he played against Smith and McCaw he came second at the breakdown. Even Corne Krige once said that he does not see Burger as an openside flanker. But don’t get me wrong, Burger will always add value to the Bok line-up whether starting or coming off the bench. Well done to Brussouw.I think he deserves the number six jumper. Being a huge Wallaby fan I think this weekend’s battle between Brussouw and Smith is going to be the contest to watch.I think both are in top form considering that both of them had a huge influence on the game.Smith pilfered 5 balls at breakdown time against the Blacks in Auckland to McCaw’s 2, clearly showing his class.
Guru says:
Aug 6, 2009
Even moreinterestingly for me will be judging who gets to the break down quicker. I have always been amazed by the way George Smith get around the park given his size. So comparing Brussouw to him will be interesting.
BP says:
Aug 6, 2009
brussouw and m.steyn have been the main differences to the bok team this year. it goes to show that with a decent ‘fetcher’ and a flyhalf that you’ll go a long way. i agree that burger isnt in the same class as brussouw, but horses for courses might mean that in some games he’ll get the nod ahead of brussouw if now with him. but the boks have got talent to burn there. i havent seen smith do much at 7 tho, but i stand to be corrected.
as to mccaw, i reckon that flank is one of the few positions where match fitness really shows as you have to be everywhere, and because he is who he is, people will be watching him more closely. give the guy a few more games to get his sharpness back and you’ll see things change for the better, he’s only human after all gents!
Anthony says:
Aug 15, 2009
Brussow is 1.81m high and weighs 101kgs…….. He’s like 6kgs lighter than schalk and way shorter…. Aka he’s more solid
Guru says:
Aug 17, 2009
True Anthony, Brussouw is an out and out fetcher, Schalk is more of a battering ram. They are both good at what they do so having both in the squad would not do any harm.