Jean was the glue, says Schalk
NEWCASTLE: The high casualty rate from the Battle of Birmingham, as Schalk Burger dubs it, forced the Bok coaching staff to cancel yesterday afternoon’s training session. There was no point because half of the team that played Samoa were not in a state to take contact, although nearly all of the walking wounded should recover for Saturday’s Pool B showdown with Scotland.
Burger, surprisingly considering the way he flung himself at anything in a blue jersey, is one of the few that are perfectly intact apart from “a bit of a broken heart” at saying farewell to his good friend Jean de Villiers yesterday morning.
“Jean was the glue that held this squad together and his role must now be fulfilled by the other senior players,” Burger said. “And quickly, because as sad as we are to lose Jean, you cannot afford to mope and you have to move on – Scotland will fancy their chances of beating us and we have had our problems with them over the years, even when they were not playing that well, which is certainly not currently the case.”
Burger, a broad grin almost always in place, said that it did not help that two of the “Scots” were Afrikaners. “Heck we used to be able to call our moves in Afrikaans against Scotland and it was double Dutch to them but that is not going to work this weekend with Messrs Josh Strauss and WP Nel on hand to do quick translations.”
Burger said the pair would obviously be giving the Scotland coaching staff insights into the Springbok culture, and to make matters worse “they are bloody good players.”
“I hate playing against Strauss. It is that damn beard of his!” Burger laughed. “It gets in the way and is prickly as hell. Seriously, I know Josh from his early days back at Maties before he moved up to the Lions. He is a typical South African loose forward – very strong in driving through the tackle, honest in his work rate and aggressive in defence.”
Scotland have enjoyed two solid wins in Pool B, putting Japan in their place after their giant-killing act in round one and then on Sunday they put a forgettable first-half performance against the USA behind them to rally and play good rugby in the second half.
“This match could well decide who wins the Pool, not that we are looking that far ahead,” Burger said.
The Boks finish with a match against the USA in London and the Scots must still encounter a Samoan team that has sidelined De Villiers, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel, Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield and Jannie du Plessis.
Apart from the obvious exception of De Villiers, most of the above are expected to play this weekend, with Du Plessis (knee) and De Allende (knee) the biggest concerns.
“Samoa are very much a unique challenge,” Burger said. “It is just a fact of the World Cup that whoever plays them will have a player or two sent home. It happened to Jean in 2007 against them, and now lightening has struck twice. Jean, Samoa and World Cups just don’t go to together.”
Burger said it was devastat- ing for the squad to lose their captain. “I was right next to him when (Samoan fullback) Tim Nanai-Williams’ shoulder collided with Jean’s face, and when I heard that horrible sound of bone breaking, I feared the worst.”
Late on Saturday night, Burger said he had got together for a “beer or two” with Danie Gerber and Ernie Els in De Villiers’ room.
“It was a special time to end a special career,” Burger said. “Earlier I had seen a youngster in Jesse Kriel meeting Danie for the first time and it was moving for an old bloke like me to see Jesse’s wide eyes at meeting a Springbok legend (Gerber was in town after having been inducted into the IRB Hall of Fame). “And then to hear over a beer in the early hours just how much the Boks still mean to Danie, and what they mean to a global superstar in Ernie, was moving for Jean and I,” Burger said.
“And now Jean is back home but I have the privilege of playing on, and with that it comes renewed responsibility,” Burger said, his face deadly serious for once.