Brief was my excitement when I made haste to the mailbox to pick up my latest addition of SA Rugby and a familiar face stared back at me – NOT SCHALK AGAIN! Yes people, Schalk Burger donned the cover of my favourite magazine for close to the fourth or fifth time this year alone! Have these guys run out of people to put on the cover or what?! Granted, Schalk sells and he had an above-average RWC, but please widen your search and get some new blood in. Thankfully other regulars like Fourie du Preez, the combo of Victor Matfield/Bakkies Botha and of course John “deep pockets” Smit have either thought it time to retire or ply their trade abroad.

However, upon putting my disappointment on ice and actually opening the damn thing, I found (to my surprise) a stand-up comedian, moonlighting as a journalist. Ryan Vrede took on the enviable task of throwing an article together that explains why Schalla should become the heir to Smittie’s Bok hot-seat! What a load of ostridge-like drivel his particular contribution turned out to be – filled to the brim with references of Burger’s “never-say-die attitude”, his ability to take on all opponents “head-on” and even going as far as to label him a talisman for all that SA rugby stands for. If Schalk Burger epitomizes SA Rugby where it is at in this post-RWC wake of disappointment, that is one thing, but if he is the future of SA Rugby, we’re in for a decidedly tough and heart-wrenching FOUR, MORE YEARS!

When bursting on the scene in 2004, Burger made an impact most people can only dream of. He had a temperament second to none and a work-rate arguably never seen before and this made the rugby fraternity of the world sit up and adore. His wavy blonde locks were impossible to miss and he popped up everywhere, made tackle upon tackle and turned over possession like … well a man possessed! His explosion onto the scene was extremely well received world-wide and endorsements were pouring in like Monsoon rain. Burger became a house hold name and his style of play became instantly linked to many products, aligning it/them to no-nonsense toughness.

It was an exciting time in international rugby and fortunately for coaches, but unfortunately for Burger all of this upheaval coincided with considerable advances in the field of player-profiling and in-depth video analyses. Schalk was making such an impact that rugby-playing nations the world over were making plans to counter Uncle Jake’s thoroughbred.  And counter it they did, in more ways that one. Schalk’s upright running action was immediately pin-pointed as a way to unsettle the big man. Soon he started running into opponents with exactly the same vigor, but coming up without possession of the ball. This apparently frustrated the South African and he persisted to through even more of himself (if this is even possible) into each collision, with a similar unsatisfactory results.

As Burger became more of a vital cog in Jake White’s building process, his role became much more involved. He was seen as an integral link between forwards and backs and was perched at first receiver on numerous occasions.

This grew to be a problem as we had effectively “lost” our fetcher. It became clear that it was no person in particular’s role to play towards the ball anymore. White famously snapped at a journalist who encountered about the importance of a “turn-over specialist/fetcher”, saying that a fetcher is somebody who collects beers from the fridge. Schalk filled those boots with distinction when he first played for the Books, but was needed elsewhere and became estranged from that role. To a large extent and in my opinion, Burger then became ineffective in commanding a justified place in the Springbok fold. Commitment, attitude and even guts were attributes that simply had to be accompanied by a unique style of play, part and parcel of the best player in each position in the country. They cannot be made reasons to justify average performances and selection policies based on experience.

In closing, I believe that Schalk Burger serves SA Rugby proudly and has done so very well in the past, yet how big a part he is to play moving forward has to be measured in how well he can adapt. Currently this seems to be the only attribute he hasn’t quite learned to master.