Boks star Burger back for Tri-Nations tour
By AFP, 11 Aug 2009
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- All Blacks, Andries Bekker, british and irish lions, Bryan Habana, Danie Rossouw, Gurthro Steenkamp, Heinrich Brussow, Jannie du Plessis, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, John Smit, Juan Smith, Luke Fitzgerald, Morne Steyn, Richie McCaw, Ricky Januarie, Ruan Pienaar, Rugby Union, Schalk Burger, Springboks, Tendai Mtawarira, Tri Nations, Victor Matfield, wallabies, Wynand Olivier
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Suspended South Africa loose forward Schalk Burger has been included in a 27-man squad for the away leg of the Tri-Nations tournament.
Flanker Burger is serving an eight-week ban for eye-gouging British and Irish Lions winger Luke Fitzgerald a minute into the second Test last June.
His suspension ends before Tri-Nations pacesetters South Africa confront Australia in Perth on August 29 and the teams clash again one week later in Brisbane.
Seeking a third southern hemisphere title in 14 attempts, the reigning world champions complete the Australasia tour against New Zealand on September 12 in Hamilton.
Long considered an automatic selection for the green and gold, Burger will face stiff competition for a starting place from Heinrich Brussow, the dynamic Free State Cheetahs flanker.
Brussow has been a revelation in two home victories over the All Blacks and one against the Wallabies this season, proving more than a match for illustrious rivals like Richie McCaw and George Smith.
Also added to the 22-man squad that defeated Australia 29-17 in Cape Town Saturday are wing Odwa Ndungane, centre Wynand Olivier, prop Gurthro Steenkamp and number eight Ryan Kankowski.
© AFP 2012SQUAD
Backs: Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Adrian Jacobs, Ricky Januarie, Odwa Ndungane, Wynand Olivier, Ruan Pienaar, JP Pietersen, Fourie du Preez, Francois Steyn, Morne Steyn, Jean de VilliersForwards: Andries Bekker, Bakkies Botha, Heinrich Brussow, Schalk Burger, Ryan Kankowski, Victor Matfield, Tendai Mtawarira, Bismarck du Plessis, Jannie du Plessis, Chiliboy Ralepelle, Danie Rossouw, John Smit (capt), Juan Smith, Pierre Spies, Gurthro Steenkamp
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- All Blacks, Andries Bekker, british and irish lions, Bryan Habana, Danie Rossouw, Gurthro Steenkamp, Heinrich Brussow, Jannie du Plessis, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, John Smit, Juan Smith, Luke Fitzgerald, Morne Steyn, Richie McCaw, Ricky Januarie, Ruan Pienaar, Rugby Union, Schalk Burger, Springboks, Tendai Mtawarira, Tri Nations, Victor Matfield, wallabies, Wynand Olivier
August 12th 2009 @ 9:14am
OldManEmu said | August 12th 2009 @ 9:14am | Report comment
I would be astounded if the Boks selectors replace Brussow with Burger. Completely different players and IMHO Brussow’s introduction to the team has set it alight and provided the missing ingredient i.e a perfect technician at the tackle. He is the man. I would not have thought that the Boks pack need to introduce any more physicality which is all that Burger will bring to the table over the top of Brussow – Botha, Smit, Smith, DuPlessis – hardly a bunch of shrinking violets.
I might be getting a tad carried away but I think this current Boks pack is one of the best that has been post 1995 – if they can fix their scrum, it would be hard to identify one better. Incidentally I refer to post 1995 because I simply think that comparing amateur era tems to professional teams is an unrealistic and impossible comparison.
August 12th 2009 @ 11:31am
Brendan said | August 12th 2009 @ 11:31am | Report comment
Knives Out,
You seem to take this website and your inflated opinion of your rugby knowledge a tad too seriously. Why don’t you start a northern hemisphere version of the roar? That way you and other english rugby followers could harp on endlessly about the greatness of English rugby and English rugby players while at the same time you could write articles to your hearts content on everything you hate about SH rugby in general and south african rugby in particular?
Btw in an earlier post you said that “we would have to wait for this years autumn internationals before we know who the best side in the world is” Why so given last years internationals when out of, what, nine tests there was only one NH win (Wales over the W’s). Presumably you expect things to be different this time round?? Where does that optimism come from?
Lastly, in an earlier thread you downplayed the boks victory over england last year because england were “callow”? Please enlighten me as to what callow means and how a “callow” team takes away from a good performance by the callow tames opponents?
August 12th 2009 @ 8:40pm
Knives Out said | August 12th 2009 @ 8:40pm | Report comment
Brendan, have you not had enough casual rebuffs already? What a bizarre, erratic and pointless post. Anyhow, if I took things too seriously then I would be charging around roaring “Bokke, Bokke!” whilst proclaiming that the Bulls are the greatest team playing rugby today, that Mtawarira ‘beasted’ Vickery, that SA smashed England and Australia and beat the Lions and have been the IRB top ranked team for 10 days or so.. Oh, wait, hang on…
We shall have to wait until the end of this year for various reasons:
1. So we have seen all teams play and a chance to show their improvements, if any.
2. Because both SA and Australia were rather fortunate to beat Wales, Scotland, Italy and France. Thus the overall win-loss record was quite misleading. The only SH team to come away from the tour in any style was NZ. The other two teams just stumbled through their games with performances which indicated that they ain’t no great shakes. The showings from Australia have added weight to this theory. The away leg of the 3N will tell us more about SA.
England were callow. Just look at the team sheet and then look in a dictionary. How many caps did Delon Armitage, Ugo Monye, Riki Flutey, Danny Cipriani, Danny Care, Tom Rees, James Haskell, Tom Palmer and Tim Payne have at that stage in their careers? Victory is great, but how rewarding is it when it comes against a ‘C’ team. Not very, I would suggest, especially in the context of what had been an utterly appalling season for the Springboks. I would have thought that was blindingly obvious.
August 13th 2009 @ 12:44pm
CraigB said | August 13th 2009 @ 12:44pm | Report comment
KO – SA and AUS fortnute? over 4 games, maybe they should all by xlotto tickets?? Sorry mate I don’t think you can be that fortunate in winning test matches. face facts that the NH were woeful last year. Highlighted by the fact that 4 nations put together couldnt beat the boks. If the role were reversed and SA NZ and Aus -for what they are worth – combined into a single side, do you think they would be troubled by ANY NH national side.
Having said that it is now a new year and the AI will be a different bag of hammers
August 13th 2009 @ 10:31pm
Knives Out said | August 13th 2009 @ 10:31pm | Report comment
Firstly, the Lions tour is the hardest thing a player can do. Why should I have to explain that to you? Why should I have to explain to a ‘proper’ rugby fan that combining four nations, four different defensive styles, four different attacking styles, four different scrummaging styles, four different lineout styles, four different back row styles and four different kicking styles and combining that in the shortest tour ever, with 10 different xv’s in 10 different games, to beating SA at home with two games at altitude is not simply ’4 nations put together that could not beat the Boks’. That is one of the most naive and silly comments I have read on this website. Absolute nonsense.
Secondly, if you are going to tell me that Australia weren’t fortunate to beat Italy and France then I suggest you do some research. If you are also going to tell me that South Africa weren’t rather fortunate to beat Wales and Scotland, then again, I suggest that you do some research. As far as I recall Wales were missing 5 first team regulars and could have smashed Australia by a god 15 points but they didn’t so woeful is a pretty broad description. That label could only be applied to England.
August 13th 2009 @ 10:59pm
QC said | August 13th 2009 @ 10:59pm | Report comment
Fact remains Knives is that no matter the scoreline they did beat the Northern teams you can not argue that. as for the ten teams statement that’s nobodys choice but the coaches, so in retrospect your own are putting your own at a disadvantage the southern teams do not ask the north to change their team every other day now do they?
Plus you can’t hardly call Wales, Scotland and England seperate nations considering they all have the same leader.
August 13th 2009 @ 11:07pm
Knives Out said | August 13th 2009 @ 11:07pm | Report comment
The northern teams? Do you mean the Lions? Changing teams is what the Lions do. Did you not know that?
‘Plus you can’t hardly call Wales, Scotland and England seperate nations considering they all have the same leader.’
That’s an embarrassing comment.
August 13th 2009 @ 11:20pm
Colin N said | August 13th 2009 @ 11:20pm | Report comment
“Plus you can’t hardly call Wales, Scotland and England seperate nations considering they all have the same leader.”
If you went to Wales or Scotland and said that…..to be honest, I wouldn’t like to be you. It’s not just embarassing, but ignorant as well.
Anyway, what has that got to do with the Lions concept anyway? If say, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy joined togther, the same difficulties would apply.
August 12th 2009 @ 12:02pm
pothale said | August 12th 2009 @ 12:02pm | Report comment
Callow = youthful, inexperienced, etc.
Would you prefer only to have SH posters on here, Brendan? Surely having the mix is better for the site. The whole point is to have a difference of opinions. As I understand it, this isn’t a Southern Hemisphere version of the Roar – is it?
There’s been countless discussion about 3N matches and SH rugby which makes sense, and one bout of discussion about the England team has you reaching for your shotgun.
Having to wait until end of year before knowing who the best side in the world does make sense. I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. It’s not about the NH teams necessarily, it’s how well the SH teams will do their usual trouncing of the NH teams. Which SH country will perform the best, since clearly the best team in the world could only come from the SH.
Do you assume automatically it will be South Africa? Since the 3N isn’t over yet, it may well be that Australia might turn it around and then go on and achieve their grand slam of Britain and Ireland. If they did, who says they wouldn’t be the greatest team this year? Ditto New Zealand given where they’ve started from. Assuming it’s SA already might be a bit premature on your part.
August 12th 2009 @ 12:07pm
Hammer said | August 12th 2009 @ 12:07pm | Report comment
Based on all their games so far – the Wallabies will struggle to do the grand slam … Scotland looking like the only banker …
August 12th 2009 @ 12:13pm
pothale said | August 12th 2009 @ 12:13pm | Report comment
Well you might say that Hammer, but I couldn’t possibly. Brendan might get annoyed again….
August 12th 2009 @ 12:39pm
OldManEmu said | August 12th 2009 @ 12:39pm | Report comment
Oh Pothale – you are a scamp.
August 12th 2009 @ 9:01pm
pothale said | August 12th 2009 @ 9:01pm | Report comment
I is? How is I being scamp-like?
August 12th 2009 @ 5:40pm
Brendan said | August 12th 2009 @ 5:40pm | Report comment
Pothale
Hammer does have a point especially as the W’s are playing all the NH sides while the boks aren’t so if, what he says above did happen then yes the Aussies would be the team of the year. Then again I don’t know if that is likely given the way the aussies played on Sat. I don’t get annoyed as I don’t take it toos seriously its just that with KO he is so matter of fact don’t argue I know better mentality.
Cheers,
August 12th 2009 @ 7:18pm
Ben J said | August 12th 2009 @ 7:18pm | Report comment
According to the IRB rankings the Northern Hemisphere is lagging the Southern Hemisphere in consistency of results home and away. The 2003 England team was an exeption which proves the rule.
August 13th 2009 @ 12:06am
pothale said | August 13th 2009 @ 12:06am | Report comment
What rule? Or do you mean the norm?
France and Ireland were 2nd and 3rd in the IRB rankings in 2006 and 2007.
Argentina were 3rd in 2007 as well I think.
Certainly the norm is that the SANZAR nations have been in the top 3 there or thereabouts over the last decade.
August 13th 2009 @ 10:52pm
Ben J said | August 13th 2009 @ 10:52pm | Report comment
Eish, rule/norm sorry the English she’s not my first language!
August 13th 2009 @ 11:13pm
QC said | August 13th 2009 @ 11:13pm | Report comment
Is it just me or are two people from oppossing sides very defensive in here?
Seems nobody else is allowed an opinion unless your Ivan or Knives Out,
August 13th 2009 @ 11:15pm
Knives Out said | August 13th 2009 @ 11:15pm | Report comment
Seems not may people know their geography and politics around here. Nice work, Hemjay. Obvious as ever.
August 13th 2009 @ 11:24pm
QC said | August 13th 2009 @ 11:24pm | Report comment
Excuse me?
The only thing obvious here is how prudish you and Ivan are being it is very blatantly obvious you think your right and he thinks he’s right, the argument is going round and round and round.
Just remember guys your not always right it is an OPINION column.