Schalk back with Boks
Schalk Burger will join the contracted Springboks at their training camp in Johannesburg on Sunday.
The Bok flanker, who had a neck fusion operation in June, has been given the green light to start training again. He is also allowed to go back to gym.
“It’s unbelievable,” Burger told Rapport rugby writer Rudolph Lake. “I got the best possible news this week. My neck operation was a complete success and the vertebra is nearly 95% regrown. I can start training again and gym – I can do everything except contact training.”
Burger said he’d begun to work on his fitness as soon as he received the good news from his doctor.
“I almost had a heartattack I was so unfit!” he said. “But it was great to be doing something again.”
September 17th, 2006 at 12:32 pm
Spies was actually the second fastest guy in the bok’s tri-nations squad behind Habana.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
O, en ‘n botteltjie blou…..
September 17th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
#41 skim
Thats is why Andries Pretorius (tswanius) hasn’t been given a bok contract.Its his size and Jake doesn’t like small okes , Impish Jake most probably looked like an easy mark to be bullied at school. do i really want to go there about Jake Whites inferiority complex about “size”…nah let his wife deal with that!
September 17th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
Pik Steal
Ou Skim ken sy mates en gewigte. Ek wonder waar kry hy al daai inligting so vinnig. Moet se, dis handig.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Skim
Wickus is ook n goeie opsie.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
Pieterman, ek dink hy bel die ouens en vra hulle sommer self. Schalk hoe lank is jy? Dan meet hy hom. Juan, hoe swaar is jy? Dan weeg hy hom ens. Kyk mooi, hy het nie Schalk en Juan se spoed oor 100m gegee nie, hulle kon nie antwoord nie want hulle hardloop nog.
September 17th, 2006 at 12:57 pm
56# Ja wraggies Pik!!
September 17th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Spot maar.
Ek sal julle nog een dag wys.
Ek gaan ‘n wereldberoemde rocker word.
September 17th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Good news. let’s hope the rest of Schalk’s recovery goes well too.
September 17th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
And boy don’t we need him. Luke Watson is a capable replacement but that asshat of a coach will never select him.
Good to see Schalk back though, he does enough work for 5 players, and there is no one like him in World Rugby!
Hopefully he can get back to his best.
September 17th, 2006 at 4:31 pm
There’s no one like him in Dros either, that’s for sure.
September 17th, 2006 at 5:44 pm
Schalk is not back….
He is a contracted Bok and is paid to be there. He will be at the Bok camp to continue with rehab, jog, be in gym, but in effect keep in touch with the Bok setup.
Do you think he is there to do contact? I doubt if he will even feature much in the S14.
Sometimes you wonder about these guys who don’t know when to retire. Why put your body on the line over and over again?
September 17th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
Very best wishes for a speedy recovery Schalk, but please don’t rush into any contact work this season.
It will be very interesting to see how the Bok management treats this new outlook on Burger. In all probability, in their ondecent haste to get him back, they will bring him on too soon.
The SARU should insist that he not be included in any team for at least the duration of 2006….but probably in their usual ballup of everything important, they will make a complete hash of things,
Patrick.
September 17th, 2006 at 7:28 pm
Schalk is not allowed to play because the remaining 5% of his vertabra (95% of his vertabra recovered) is still held as a deposit by the wpru so that he can’t join the sharks. Its a contact thing.
September 17th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
at full potential, joe van niekerk, or pierre spies?
September 17th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
I saw today that the great Peter Winterbottom (the rich man’s Neil Back) utterly dismissed Burger as a class open side. Echoing my own views he described Burger as being clueless in deciding when to hit and when to hold back from a ruck or maul.
Its about intelligence and coaching. Burger has none of the former and been exposed to inadequate help on the latter.
September 17th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
klippies #30
Rugby is no bodybuilding competition.
September 17th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Thank you Lord. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you.
September 17th, 2006 at 11:28 pm
i say enter nick koster… the 17 year old wonder boy from the WP, who plays eighthman.
Koster (age 17):
speed: 100m in 11.0 seconds
height: 193cm
weight: 97kg
September 17th, 2006 at 11:29 pm
in about 2 years, koster will be roughly…
height: 198cm
weight: 110kg
speed: 100m in 10.5 seconds
scary isn’t it…
September 17th, 2006 at 11:53 pm
Hope he is not rushed into this camp they have, more worried about his neck than his comeback, good luck to him.
September 17th, 2006 at 11:58 pm
Schalk has to be wise here. He is young and energetic but he has to be careful. Who knows the next knock could be his last. I say , if he has to play S14 then play the home games, close to his own team of doctors and he can be better monitored here.
September 18th, 2006 at 12:04 am
agree CSI
i pray that he isnt rushed back at his own expense. we can probably expect the sa rugby circus will continue and schalk will be ushered in far sooner than he should be.
ppl are hoping schalk will play at the expense of his ability to walk and have a normal life after rugby. real cool.
i would love to see schalk playing again, maybe even for the boks. the boks arent even half the side with burger. he is one of a kind for sure, but to believe that he is going to be ok to play in super 14 rugby or even tri nations is really putting pressure on this guy, and his neck.
take it easy schalk! PLEASE!!!
September 18th, 2006 at 12:14 am
Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.
September 18th, 2006 at 1:55 am
Schalk
Listen to uncle Jinx, Tomsta and Pieterman, you hear?
If you don’t, we will moer jou! (solank jy net nie terugmoer nie).
No serious, I know are rearing to go, but easy does it.
September 18th, 2006 at 6:32 am
I reckon that even thou the bok back 3 are smaller with a bit more improvement and tactics they can overpower any back 3 in the world. Size is something South Africa should rethink. Matt Giateu, imagine if Habana could replicate his play in center, Thou I would hate to touch our center combination, I reckon like our second rowers they will become the best pair in world rugby.
Reference to Lord of the Rings. Even thou they are Hobbits (back 3) they can still defeat bigger opponents
September 18th, 2006 at 9:33 am
my backline
9 ruan
10 brent
11 spies
12 JDV
13 fourie
14 pietersen
15 habana
This would be a try scoring machine!!!!!!
September 18th, 2006 at 9:36 am
it would also allow for a big athletic and dynamic guy like joe to fit in at 8 as well as give us that much desired size on the wing…we’ll see who tuqiri bullies then
September 18th, 2006 at 9:47 am
Hope he doesn’t have a ‘babelas’ after his ‘kuier’ in the Paternoster Hotel on Saterday…
September 18th, 2006 at 9:58 am
We all saw this weekend what an impact the Springboks made on the CC.
Just goes to show that the CC is in fact not that strong and that maybe Jakes Boks are the best in their positions.
Arguably though, perhaps players with talent and potential should be given the exposure to get to that level.
but without a doubt Spies, Olivier, Ndungane and Wannenburg made the difference for the Bulls.
If the Bulls had Bakkies,victor Fourie and habana back, could anyone beat them?
for the record, Im not a bulls fan.
September 18th, 2006 at 10:00 am
anyone feel free to comment on my backline!:p
September 18th, 2006 at 10:45 am
The only loose forward the muppits like to leave out is AJ and that always baffles me.
SAFFAS are always “waxing lyrical” (to quote of one these hackneyed phrases used in rugga commentary)about new talent.
we could not nurture Bob’s,Big Joe’s and Schalk’s talent and now we’ve found a new saviour in Spies. He’s a good player but watch him at 25, if he’ll get there.
there are so many probable combinations for the bok set up at loose forward
A.(the preferred one by muppits but not probable)
6 Schalk
7 Smith
8 Spies
with AJ on the bench.
B. (the seemingly highly unlikely one is)
6. Watson
7. Smith
8. Venter
with Schalk on the bench.
C.(this option is set to take out any loose forward combination available but is not likely in the saffa set up)
6.Schalk
7.Smith
Big Joe on the bench
Saffas must always remember that we are a factory for loose forwards, which is why we can afford to screw up so many every four years and still go to a world cup with a loose trio combo ranked among the top 3 in the world at any given time.
I have not mentioned Danie, Pedrie and Jacque because they are not the best for their respective positions but are more than likely to upset me and make it to the world cup.
With Pierre Spies, i’d like to reserve my observations because the boy is obviously talented but i’ve seen him play in 4 positions in 4 weeks. that shows me talent and adaptability but there is a case in specialisation ala McCaw, Burger and Juan.
Time will tell how this boy will do.
Schalk, returned to early for my liking but if the doctors say he’s good to go, then he is.
September 18th, 2006 at 10:53 am
Option C is
6. Schalla
7. Smith
8. Venter
more grunt for your money.
September 18th, 2006 at 11:26 am
agree,,,aj is some serious grunter, and all loose trios need a one mother grunter back there to really donner the other okes. collins does that with rodney,,and elsom tries to do it for aussie,,well elsom trying to fill owen finegans boots.
aj should be in starting 22 no questions. too much experience, grafter and leadership. priceless
September 18th, 2006 at 11:38 am
Fantastic, going to be the best looseforward combo in the world.
6. Burger
7. Smith/Venter
8. Spies
might as well give us the cup…
September 18th, 2006 at 11:58 am
SUPERMAN RETURNS
September 18th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
Lick your lips.
Imagine in a few seasons from now, rotating Burger, Watson, Spies, Diak (with some ‘old’ guy around as well)
September 18th, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Take it easy, Schalkie (and Jake), there is lots of time
September 18th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
RWC is 12 months away, stay healthy
September 18th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
Schalk moet nou ook bietjie ophou om op sy naam te ry, dit raak nou tyd om weer bietjie te perform. Hy was die laaste tyd maar kakkerig
September 18th, 2006 at 5:27 pm
No 15 # 86
Remember what happenened to Superman…in a wheel chair.
Schalk must in no ways be blinded by the bright lights of fame and adulation. He needs to REALLY know that all is okay.
September 29th, 2006 at 2:58 am
the monster is Back…… fresh salut you Burger.