Schalk back with Boks
17 Sep 2006
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.”
92 Comments
17 Sep 2006, 10:45 am
hope schalkie can pull through!!!
17 Sep 2006, 10:47 am
YEAH!!!
And we were forced to build some great backup in Spies so the worldcup is looking good again,
With Smith, Burger, Joe and Bakkies all back in the bok lineup at the WC (provided there are no more injuries)
17 Sep 2006, 10:48 am
he will – he has natural talent
17 Sep 2006, 10:48 am
HALLELUJA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Incredible Schalck is BACK!!
17 Sep 2006, 10:49 am
1.98m
105kg
Wild mal in die kop
Natural fetcher
Line-out option
17 Sep 2006, 10:49 am
Wonder what Schalk thinks of Luke?
17 Sep 2006, 10:49 am
Good news. Him and Spies will play well together.
17 Sep 2006, 10:50 am
Imagine:
6.Schalk
7.Juan
8.Spies
17 Sep 2006, 10:50 am
u are talking striker – now it only can go beter – schalk ; bakkies ; joe ; smith ; jdv ; and spies that got good experience – oh man its going 2 b good
17 Sep 2006, 10:57 am
yeah Skim, hardcore. and then with a bit of competition maybe big joe will lift his game too.
17 Sep 2006, 10:58 am
Skim,
Rumour is that he doesn’t like the idea of Luke being the captain, and doesn’t particularly want to play under him.
17 Sep 2006, 11:01 am
schalk’s 193cm and 108kg’s actually. lets not get carried away, i think he should only be allowed to play 6 matches in the S14 next year… at most. in a dream situation, this would be the starting 22 for the WC
1 J. Engels
2 J. Smit (lets face it, he WILL start)
3 CJ. vd Linde
4 B. Botha
5 V. Matfield
6 S. Burger
7 J. Smith
8 P. Spies
9 R. Pienaar
10 A. Pretorious
11 B. Habana (on FORM)
12 J. d Villiers
13 J. Fourie
14 JP. Pieterson
15 B. Fortuin (in wet weather) / G. Aplon (in dry weather)
16 O. du Randt
17 C. Ralapelle
18 J. Muller
19 L. Watson
20 F. du Preez
21 B. James
22 B. Fortuin / G. Aplon
Unlucky Wynand Olivier… his a quality player. I’ll also watch the progress of Philip Burger and Marius Delport, because they’re quality players. Kabama Floors might also be my reserve flank, because he adds another dimension to the attack. If Floors comes in, then Schalk Britz must come in as well. Imagine the flair in this team?? I’ve said many times before, until Aplon’s size is exposed, surely he’s good enough. judge a player by his performances, not his stats.
17 Sep 2006, 11:05 am
i dont no how chilli boy is close to the bok setup without having played a game in months.
17 Sep 2006, 11:06 am
ziyaad, i would start with os (hopefully guthro is ready then too) but i also rate engels. also, i would have BJ in place of CJ.
my biggest worry are the back 3. okay, habana is there but the other wing? also, i am a JP Pietersen supporter but maybe the oke is too young. only 20 ffs and fullback is a stressful position.
fullbacks get better with age, i even remember that andre joubert was slated by many okes when he first became a bok, but after some time we all know what happened.
17 Sep 2006, 11:12 am
i would also not have bevan close to the setup, if you want a similar player i would go for roets, and rossouw on the bench instead of muller, otherwise good team.
17 Sep 2006, 11:14 am
Don’t rush schalla back for the sake of the world cup.
17 Sep 2006, 11:14 am
Great news.
Get well soon Schalla!
6. Schalk
7. Spies
8. Juan (even teich’s thinks Juan will a brilliant
17 Sep 2006, 11:15 am
poor watsons star is fading fast!
17 Sep 2006, 11:19 am
remember the world cup is still half the currie cup, the end of the season tour, a full s14 and tri nations away. thats plenty of time to gain experience. ya sorry bj botha replaces cj vd linde. bevin’s only weakness may be his pace. he also add to the ‘quota’ we need on the field. fortuin is probably the most reliable fullback we have, and is extremely powerful on the run. Aplon, on the other hand, is flawless. except when he stands on a scale he weighs 10kg less than Percy. im so keen to see him play s14. remember this is priliminary. 14 months ago we didnt even know about guys like aplon, pieterson, bj botha (nt really), pierre spies, so new guys may yet come through
17 Sep 2006, 11:22 am
Best Of Luck to you big fella!
17 Sep 2006, 11:24 am
yeah ziyaad, as exciting as aplon is i will reserve judgement until he has played at a higher standard that cc. the thing is, if russel cant get into the bok team what chance does aplon have?
i cant believe that **** doesnt play russel. ffs, **** wasnt the biggest in his day was he, surely he of all people should know that there is more to it than size.
17 Sep 2006, 11:27 am
we need 5 quota players i think. come to think about it, if JW is coach watson wont be there. so Kabama Floors can come in, with Danie Rossouw the reserve lock, because he double up as a flank. new team:
1 O. Du Randt
2 J. Smit
3 BJ. Botha
4 B. Botha
5 V. Matfield
6 S. Burger
7 J. Smith
8 P. Spies
9 R. Pienaar
10 A. Pretorious
11 B. Habana
12 J. d Villiers
13 J. Fourie
14 JP. Pieterson (played sa u21 there)
15 G. Aplon
16 J. Engels
17 Chilliboy
18 D. Rossouw
19 K. Floors
20 F. du Preez
21 B. James
22 B. Fortuin (or Brent Russell) since the quota has been satisfied)
another to watch is Hilton Lobberts. he is young and will only improve over the next 12 months. the ndungane twins need speed training too.
17 Sep 2006, 11:31 am
yeah, better team, although i still want to see chiliboy actually play a senior game.
interesting that luke is no where…imagine a back three of paulse, russell and aplon, take on the aussie (previous) back three of tuqiri, sailor and latham! that would be interesting.
17 Sep 2006, 11:31 am
How is it that Schalk with a 95% healed neck even consider joining the Bok training squad?
17 Sep 2006, 11:37 am
The ‘incredible Hulk’ gotta admit you boys missed him! A damn fine player who is only sorely missed when he does not play a game.
17 Sep 2006, 11:37 am
He needs 2 bolts in his neck and he will be known as Herman ‘Munster” Burger.
Seriously he is awesome but will have to change his attack strategy at breakdowns/rucks. He just cannot go budgeoning in head first all the time coz he won’t last and the Boks cannot afford to lose him next year. He will need a special forwards coach team to increase or hone his skills in the rucks.
Great to have him back, but i will be nervous for him in his first game!!!!
17 Sep 2006, 11:38 am
i reckon tuqiri isnt all that on defense. look how tom varndell stood him up in a 1 on 1. we keep coming back to size… ideally we would want 100kg wings who can sprint the 100 in 10seconds. oh, come to think about it, i do know someone who can do that. except his 17 and plays eightman. nick koster of bishops. i promise u, that name will define south african rugby in years to come. coming back to the point of giant wings, do we want Giscard Pieters and Dean Hall then? unfortunately for the time being we wont be able to provide a physically big back 3, but we could have a lighting quick, nimble back 3 that could create something outta nothing
17 Sep 2006, 11:39 am
23
Sailor was rubbish and will always be rubbish in union. The reason is that he cannot score tries in close quarters, keep the game tight and Sailor goes AWOL. Sailor needs space to score tries!
17 Sep 2006, 11:41 am
i am not suggesting that the wallaby back three would destroy the three little uns from the boks, but it would be an interesting experiment in size difference. sailor new found his true calling as a battering ram.
17 Sep 2006, 11:41 am
our boks r not big enough they look skinny next the aussies
17 Sep 2006, 11:55 am
king scalla back,vonderbaa!
17 Sep 2006, 11:56 am
(22) ziyaad,good team bro!
17 Sep 2006, 11:57 am
great news…
I just hope it’s not too soon for Schalk. Jake must not be tempted to take him on the EOYT… let him recover completely before conatct training or playing..
skim…
That’s trio’s the real deal… can’t wait to see them play together…
17 Sep 2006, 12:04 pm
Moerse goeie nuus, dankie Vader!!!
Maar vat dit stadig Klein Schalk. Jy is nog jonk.
Groot Schalk, hou jou klong in toom asseblief, hy weet nie wat ‘bang’ beteken nie. Praat hom bang, asseblief.
17 Sep 2006, 12:04 pm
Schalk with 95% regrown vertebra joins camp. Another flank has 100% vertebra, only shorter. The Hulk is back and Joke must be having wet dreams!
17 Sep 2006, 12:05 pm
skim,good trio boss but will joke buy into that idea? we hope
17 Sep 2006, 12:06 pm
Schalk is so large one can see his vertebra on Google Earth!
17 Sep 2006, 12:07 pm
pieterman,i saw schalk jogging in the sreets around the newlands stadium early this week with his chick and the boy has beefed up big style!
strange to think he is still only 22!
look out world……
17 Sep 2006, 12:07 pm
pik steal,hahaha nice one!
17 Sep 2006, 12:09 pm
Of course Joky will buy it
Spies = lineout option, moer vinnig, great skill
Juan = Lineout option, moer hard, great skill
Schalk = Schalk
17 Sep 2006, 12:11 pm
For Jake who is obsessed with speed, size and strenght this is perfect.
You won’t get a faster or bigger back row anywhere on this planet.
17 Sep 2006, 12:11 pm
Mac
Keep him jogging at Newlands, no need for him to go on tour to Ireland/England this year and bust his neck again.. Let him recover properly.
The boy knows no fear and I am worried about him. Dont’t rush him untill WC time.
17 Sep 2006, 12:18 pm
Luke must feel like the Rhodes Memorial, in the shade of Table Mountain, when he enters the presence of Schalk.
17 Sep 2006, 12:19 pm
Spies:
Speed 100m in 10.7s
Height 195cm
Weight 106kg
Juan:
Height 196cm
Weight 104kg
Schalk:
Weight 106kg
Height 193cm
17 Sep 2006, 12:22 pm
Average height of about 195 cm
together with Victor(200cm, 108kg) and Bakkies(201cm, 118kg) line-outs won’t be aproblem for us in the WC.
17 Sep 2006, 12:26 pm
44/45# Awesome bru!!!!!!!!!!
17 Sep 2006, 12:30 pm
Kabamba Floors:
175 cm
88 kg
Luke Watson:
184 cm
98 kg
Jacques Botes:
182cm
98kg
Ernst Joubert:
188cm
100kg
Wickus van Heerden:
196cm
104kg
17 Sep 2006, 12:31 pm
Pieterman, Skim het ‘n liniaal, ‘n skaal en ‘n stop horlosie in die hande gekry.
17 Sep 2006, 12:31 pm
The only guy Jake will look at besides the guys that are currently in the squad is Captain courageous mr Wickus Van Heerden.
17 Sep 2006, 12:31 pm
Only one man will make more money than Schalk and Pierre Spies over the next 5 years…Schalk’s surgeon!
But who cares, he earned it by performing a miracle. It’s only money. Schalkie’s neck is a totally different matter, cannot be replaced.
Good job doc!
17 Sep 2006, 12:32 pm
Spies was actually the second fastest guy in the bok’s tri-nations squad behind Habana.
17 Sep 2006, 12:33 pm
O, en ‘n botteltjie blou…..
17 Sep 2006, 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!
17 Sep 2006, 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.
17 Sep 2006, 12:45 pm
Skim
Wickus is ook n goeie opsie.
17 Sep 2006, 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.
17 Sep 2006, 12:57 pm
56# Ja wraggies Pik!!
17 Sep 2006, 14:05 pm
Spot maar.
Ek sal julle nog een dag wys.
Ek gaan ‘n wereldberoemde rocker word.
17 Sep 2006, 14:57 pm
Good news. let’s hope the rest of Schalk’s recovery goes well too.
17 Sep 2006, 16:21 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.
17 Sep 2006, 16:31 pm
There’s no one like him in Dros either, that’s for sure.
17 Sep 2006, 17:44 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?
17 Sep 2006, 19:01 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.
17 Sep 2006, 19:28 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.
17 Sep 2006, 20:39 pm
at full potential, joe van niekerk, or pierre spies?
17 Sep 2006, 21:11 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.
17 Sep 2006, 21:11 pm
klippies #30
Rugby is no bodybuilding competition.
17 Sep 2006, 21:29 pm
Thank you Lord. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you.
17 Sep 2006, 23:28 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
17 Sep 2006, 23:29 pm
in about 2 years, koster will be roughly…
height: 198cm
weight: 110kg
speed: 100m in 10.5 seconds
scary isn’t it…
17 Sep 2006, 23:53 pm
Hope he is not rushed into this camp they have, more worried about his neck than his comeback, good luck to him.
17 Sep 2006, 23:58 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.
18 Sep 2006, 00:04 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!!!
18 Sep 2006, 00:14 am
Wisely and slow. They stumble that run fast.
18 Sep 2006, 01:55 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.
18 Sep 2006, 06:32 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
18 Sep 2006, 09:33 am
my backline
9 ruan
10 brent
11 spies
12 JDV
13 fourie
14 pietersen
15 habana
This would be a try scoring machine!!!!!!
18 Sep 2006, 09:36 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
18 Sep 2006, 09:47 am
Hope he doesn’t have a ‘babelas’ after his ‘kuier’ in the Paternoster Hotel on Saterday…
18 Sep 2006, 09:58 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.
18 Sep 2006, 10:00 am
anyone feel free to comment on my backline!:p
18 Sep 2006, 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.
18 Sep 2006, 10:53 am
Option C is
6. Schalla
7. Smith
8. Venter
more grunt for your money.
18 Sep 2006, 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
18 Sep 2006, 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…
18 Sep 2006, 11:58 am
SUPERMAN RETURNS
18 Sep 2006, 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)
18 Sep 2006, 13:02 pm
Take it easy, Schalkie (and Jake), there is lots of time
18 Sep 2006, 15:29 pm
RWC is 12 months away, stay healthy
18 Sep 2006, 16:33 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
18 Sep 2006, 17:27 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.
29 Sep 2006, 02:58 am
the monster is Back…… fresh salut you Burger.
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