Schalk and his medical aid excited about Japan
SCHALK Burger, once known as rugby’s wrecking ball, is looking forward to being a little less physical on the field.
The Springbok flank is preparing to join the Japanese league, in which the sport is said to be played in a faster but less bruising fashion.
He and his family will leave Cape Town on August 4 for Tokyo, where he will play for the Suntory Sungoliath club.
It will be an emotional departure from a city — and its Newlands rugby home — where he has played since he was a teenager.
“I’ve been in Cape Town since the start of my rugby career. I don’t know anything else,” said Burger, who played for the Western Province junior teams before graduating to the Currie Cup team, the Stormers and the Boks. “I’ve loved playing rugby here and now it’s time for a new challenge.”
He will spend two seasons with Sungoliath in a deal that will allow him to continue to play Super Rugby for the Stormers and will keep him eligible for the Springboks in next year’s World Cup.
He and his wife, Michele, were this week preparing for a new challenge, along with sons Schalk (23 months) and Nicol (three months)
“I’ve only watched a handful of the Japanese league games and I’ve spoken to some other players,” he said. “They say the speed of the game is immense so it’s super fast, but the physical intensity is not as big as we’re used to with Super Rugby.”
This news will be a relief for his wife — and his medical aid.
“It’s tough on my wife. She says she’s watching less and less rugby because, most of the time when I’m involved, her eyes are closed. And I think my mom is the same.”
He said his medical aid had been depleted by the weeks he spent in hospital last year, first to drain and then remove a cyst in his back. It led to a bout of bacterial meningitis that nearly claimed his life and kept him off the rugby field for most of last year.
“It’s crazy, if you think about it. At one stage I was fighting for my life, and a year later I was playing rugby again. We as humans are not made to remember the bad times. We have very selective memories,” he said.
Asked to name his injuries, he was able to rattle off a few. “Don’t get me started. Countless [broken] fingers, countless [broken] ribs, the neck problem eight years ago. I’ve had a cyst removed in my back, five knee operations, torn ligaments in the shoulder and I underwent seven surgeries last year. If you carry on asking about my injuries, I might just decide it’s time to stop playing.”
But he is looking forward to his Japanese adventure and wants to learn the language. The new opportunity also means more time to spend with his family because he will be travelling less.
“Sometimes, I’m away for a month and I come back and the boys have changed so much,” he said.
Little Schalk, like his dad, loves to braai, building “pretend braais” all over the house.
Michele said: “Schalk and I have always shared a love for travelling, so we see this as an opportunity to experience the Japanese culture and a different way of life. The unknown can be daunting and slightly more challenging with our two little boys, but a great experience for them too. We are very excited.”