Suspension for Brits could be a blessing in disguise

Given that he hasn’t experienced the humiliation of being sent off before in his 17-year career, it was easy to understand Bulls hooker Schalk Brits’s embarrassment when he was red-carded for his role in the scuffle with Sharks opponent Akker van der Merwe.

But while there was goodwill between the parties afterwards, it won’t be a laughing matter for the two players’ coaches.

Van der Merwe, in particular, could face a long absence from the game once the disciplinary committee has done its work, and it is something the Sharks can ill afford given their lack of depth at hooker.

There might be some sanction for Brits too, though the reason why he joined Van der Merwe in taking an early shower was not as clearly evident to television viewers. Brits will probably get off lightly. But for the good of Brits, SA rugby and the Springbok World Cup challenge, I hope the book is thrown at the veteran hooker and he spends a lengthy time on the sidelines.

That might seem cockeyed to readers, particularly when I follow up by saying that Brits has already done enough to show that he should be in the Bok squad that travels to the World Cup in September. But that is precisely why it would be good for him to take a break.

He’s done his bit to prove his value, and now Bok coach Rassie Erasmus, if it is not decreed that way by the disciplinary committee, should be wrapping him in cotton wool. Brits turns 38 in April. While Victor Matfield was that age when he played for the Boks at the 2015 World Cup, there are a few significant differences between the legendary former lock and Brits.

For a start, Matfield went into retirement for two years before returning to the game. That was two years away from the wear and tear. Matfield was also a freakish athlete. He arguably did look after himself as well when he did play again after such a long break and appeared to be quite wise in the way he built up to what was his fourth appearance at a World Cup.

Brits has thrown the kitchen sink at every game he has played for the Bulls so far and has been a combative, tireless presence in the frontline. He was brilliant in his match-up with first choice Bok hooker Malcolm Marx a few weeks ago, was physical and robust

against the Stormers, and stood out in the first-round derby between the Bulls and Sharks in Pretoria three weeks ago.

What was noticeable at King’s Park before his red card was that he was starting to require walking repairs. There were some who have played the game who pointed out — when it was learned that perhaps Brits had thrown the first punch, which was why he was carded — that it is when you get older, and the physical contact becomes more telling, that rugby players tend to become more involved in offthe-ball incidents.

Bok coach Erasmus knows full well that Brits may face a challenge to keep his body intact through a whole Super Rugby season. But why should he need to? Surely if Erasmus just wants him to play a role in the World Cup, there is something to be gained from minimising his workload now that he has proved he does still have the ability.

Brits is facing a bigger workload now than he is used to. In the English premiership, and particularly at Saracens, the players’ workload is carefully managed, and they seldom play more than two or three games in a row before being given a break and time away.

Let’s not forget either that initially Brits was going not to the Bulls, but the Stormers. He lives in the Cape, but there might have been more than just geographical method to his choice. Another Bok hooker, Bongi Mbonambi, is on the Stormers’ books. So is the highly capable Scarra Ntubeni. Had Brits gone to the Stormers, he wouldn’t have been first choice and would have played less regularly. At the Bulls he is first choice and as long as they can get him on to the field, they will want him to play.

Maybe for the benefit of the Boks’ World Cup challenge, which is the only reason Brits is still playing, there needs to be a rethink. He needs to be fresh for a sequence of games that will be played in September. Playing him to a standstill now will not achieve that objective.

If the disciplinary committee rules him out for a few weeks it might be doing Brits, and the Boks, a favour.