Bok captaincy a dream come true for Burger
It sounds like a fairy tale. That’s how Schalk Burger has described his being named captain of the Springboks.
It was just two years ago that Burger lay in a hospital bed fighting for his life after picking up bacterial meningitis following an operation to relieve pressure on a calf muscle. He is now South Africa’s 55th captain and will finally fulfil a life-long dream — leading his country’s national team on to the field.
“When I was that ill all I wanted was to play again . . . I just wanted one more test . . . I got it last year and now here I am. Everything’s happened so quickly, considering how far I’ve come in such a short space of time. It sounds like a fairy tale.
“Growing up on those wet fields of the Cape I always dreamed of playing for the Boks. We’d imagine it was South Africa against New Zealand, the greatest match of all, and now with this it’s the cherry on top,” said Burger yesterday.
The 32-year-old takes over from Victor Matfield for this weekend’s test against the All Blacks after the towering lock was ruled out of the match after picking up a hamstring strain last week. Regular captain Jean de Villiers is also not yet ready to lead the team.
“There’s no bigger challenge than to lead a team against the All Blacks. It’s a privilege to just play against them and now there’s an added spark to the contest. It’s a big responsibility but I’m so looking forward to it.”
Bok coach Heyneke Meyer said it was an easy decision to pick Burger to lead his team and he, too, said it was like a fairy tale come true.
“It’s a huge honour and privilege for me to name Schalk our captain . . . it’s a fairy tale come true. A few years back Schalk wasn’t available, he was injured and sick and couldn’t play.
“But, it shows one must never give up on your dreams. He’s an inspira- tion to everyone. Look at him now, he’s captain of the Boks.
“He’s a man who leads from the front, he’s a real warrior — on and off field — and in the end it was an easy decision to make. He’s a born leader.
“When I took over the coaching of the team a few years ago I was worried about the leadership in the group. But Jean [de Villiers] has been brilliant, Victor’s always been a good leader and there are other guys, too — men like Bismarck du Plessis, Adriaan Strauss and Francois Louw. It’s important before the World Cup that we give someone else a go.”
Matfield will miss only this weekend’s match and return to lead the side against Argentina. “Victor could have played at a push, but there are bigger things to keep in mind this year,” said Meyer.
“Playing against old foe Richie McCaw is always a great challenge,” Burger said. “We’ve been doing it since 2003 and it’s been great, but the focus right now is on preparing as well as possible for the match.”