Better equipped Brits boon for Boks
6 Nov 2012
RYAN VREDE, in Dublin, reports that Schalk Brits says his time in Europe has refined him into a player capable of adapting his style to suit any match situation.
There’s a lingering perception of Brits in South Africa as a player who shuns the tighter disciplines of hooker play in favour of headline-grabbing attempts in the wider channels. However, those who have tracked his career at Saracens closely will attest to that perception being flawed.
Certainly there was a time in his career where that would be a legitimate accusation, but now it will not stand up to stern examination, with Brits having honed his craft in an environment that will expose front-row pretenders.
‘There were people who said I wouldn’t survive at Saracens because of the focus on scrummaging, driving and playing tight as a hooker. But I’ve learned to love those things, especially scrummaging,’ Brits said. ‘It isn’t just a way to start a game here [in Europe], it is a way of milking penalties. Overall I’ve learned to adapt my style to the match situation and I think I’ve been successful. There’s times when I need to be tighter and times I need to shine.’
YouTube examples of Brits ‘shining’ are plentiful, which made it quite a surprise when he endorsed the Springboks’ style, which is widely perceived to be conservative.
‘Somehow along the way we’ve lost touch with our strengths as South Africans. We’re moving back there now. I’m glad we’re going back to the core of what makes us special,’ he offered.
‘We’ve always succeeded when we’ve been on point with our kicking game and we’ve also got massive guys who like to be physical. That’s what we’re good at. We shouldn’t try to be anything we’re not. I know I’ve been known to play a bit differently but it will be great to get back to that South African style of rugby. There’s freedom in that structure and we’ve got the players to take advantage of that freedom.
‘But as a starting point we need to dominate Ireland at the set phases from the get go and eliminate the energy they’ll bring to those facets of play. We also need to play for field position.’
Brits was philosophical about his call-up, which he initially thought was a ‘piss take’ from mates (‘They’ve done that to me before’), explaining he has learned some hard lessons in his time in the Test wilderness.
‘All I can do now is be the best I can in the situation I find myself in, whether that be holding a tackle bag, playing 20 seconds or 20 minutes. One thing I learned from my four years out of this team is that you can’t take anything for granted. In 2008 I played my last Test and didn’t think I’d wait this long to play another.
‘When I signed with Saracens I knew the probability of playing for the Springboks was next to nothing. I’ve played my best rugby in the last three years and I haven’t been picked so I never thought this day will come again.’
Follow Ryan on Twitter
Follow SA Rugby magazine on Twitter
26 Comments
6 Nov 2012, 06:24 am
Schalk Dragon
6 Nov 2012, 07:04 am
Juan de Jong: Best test centre!
6 Nov 2012, 07:37 am
Jinx … best centre available at the moment! nothing more
6 Nov 2012, 07:42 am
If you always do what you’ve always done ,you’ll always get what you’ve always got.
‘We’ve always succeeded when we’ve been on point with our kicking game and we’ve also got massive guys who like to be physical. That’s what we’re good at. We shouldn’t try to be anything we’re not.’
I don’t mind forward orientated ,percentage based Rugby, as long as it isn’t one dimensional and as long as we can adapt .
We need to learn to score tries quicker and for that we need a better 15.13 …
A culture of attack also needs to be found where players understand each other. I don’t understand Meyers obsession with size before skill and I think it will slow down the progression of our national Rugby.
The Stormers ,Sharks and Cheetahs should never buy into this one unified playing style.
6 Nov 2012, 07:46 am
Ja Ryan, you guys with your regurgitation style of rugby opinion writing are the main culprits when it comes to the “lingering perception” about players like Brits. One hack writes it, another strokes his chin and throws his weight behind it and before you know it you can’t mention the player’s name in the media without the obligatory “too light, too loose” affix. He hasn’t changed or “developed” at all. He’s still the same exceptional player he was before he joined Sarries. Don’t change your spin and jump on the bandwagon now that he’s back in the Bok mix. It’s so transparent.
6 Nov 2012, 07:49 am
‘Somehow along the way we’ve lost touch
with our strengths as South Africans. We’re
moving back there now. I’m glad we’re
going back to the core of what makes us
special,’ he offered.
‘We’ve always succeeded when we’ve been
on point with our kicking game and we’ve
also got massive guys who like to be
physical. That’s what we’re good at. We
shouldn’t try to be anything we’re not. I
know I’ve been known to play a bit
differently but it will be great to get back to
that South African style of rugby. There’s
freedom in that structure and we’ve got the
players to take advantage of that freedom.’
nice one britsy, i see in your time in europe you’ve also learnt to gatkruip
massive guys, kicking, structure, traditional strengths exactly what meyer wants to hear.
hey schalk watch a tape of the all blacks next time you come out for air boet…they’re also physical, they can play for territory, they target the setpieces too, their defence watertight.
so how far off is that from our mythical “traditional strengths”?!
6 Nov 2012, 08:00 am
The guy speaks well. Done wonders for Sarries. I like him. If he can prove he can do the tight stuff at test level, id back him to play for the boks a lot more.
I like him as a person, for sure
6 Nov 2012, 08:00 am
to think tomato_boy was rated higher than this legend … this country – eish … same with Rhule vs le Roux …. rhule was even “killed” by the EP kings!
6 Nov 2012, 08:46 am
If Meyer wakes up and smells the coffee, the Boks may be feilding the 2 best hookers in the world in the same match day 22. Bismark to rough everyone up to start with and then Brits to blow them off the park at the end, would be a serious headache for every opposition in the world.
6 Nov 2012, 08:55 am
I see Barry Soetoro cried during his recent campaign speech.
Is this pure fatigue or a last minute desperate attempt to tip the scales say to 50.5% versus 49.5%?
I guess we will find out soon enough…
6 Nov 2012, 08:56 am
with Flo possibly out this weekend I would start with Brits at 2….
6 Nov 2012, 09:01 am
With a surname like Brits, is Schalk British?
6 Nov 2012, 09:07 am
Barry Soetoro sounds like an announcer at boxing
Take that voice and say: LET’S GET READY TO R-U-M-B-L-E
Mitt eish ja, Mitt eish
6 Nov 2012, 09:12 am
@suffer_guy-8: did you see rhule smoke perez?
6 Nov 2012, 09:17 am
hope he gets plenty of opportunity.
everybody loves a cinderella story.
6 Nov 2012, 10:14 am
Schalk played in the that game against the AB’s in Dunedin in 2008 the first game we one on NZ soil in 10 years. Made an excellent tackle on Carter with about 5 mins to go.
Lukey and Conrad Jantjies was also playing.
Played the last 10mins with 14 men ’cause Big Vic got a yellow.
6 Nov 2012, 10:29 am
@Jeraldjay-16:
Ricky Januarie’s game , that was a classic.
6 Nov 2012, 10:51 am
@grant10-11: Now that’s a great rugby statement!
6 Nov 2012, 11:04 am
hayisuka wohluleka nje ebiziwe lo , akhonto azoza nayo
6 Nov 2012, 11:18 am
@HongKongSlong-9: The two best hookers in the world are Saffas. I agree with that statement.
Bismarck
S Brits
6 Nov 2012, 11:39 am
We want Chiliboi!
Let’s hope he: 1. will not break his hand 2. he will not get caught using steroids (like in 2010)
6 Nov 2012, 12:17 pm
@Hondo-21: 6
Happy to see you finally coming right Hondo.
6 Nov 2012, 12:33 pm
Sorry but Chillyboy has played how much rugby in the last 3 months? The man is a walking injury! Sorry but Chillyboy again is the victim of quota selection.
He is a good player, but he has no form? When was his last game, last time I checked the Bulls started Wepenaar before him?
6 Nov 2012, 16:26 pm
We miss you Schalk down here in the Cape, but we have a solid, although not as fast, replacement in Fourie.
You will always be a Stormers/WP legend!
6 Nov 2012, 17:49 pm
@Transformation-6: Thank you Transie! I cant agree more! Yes Schalk has good points, but how has it helped the Boks by sending those brutes crashing into NZ, Aus and Arg? Losing the ball in contact or getting turned on the ground way too frequently.
Also – NZ Knows our boys love the collisions, they also know the players wont even try to side-step, offload, or even pass most of the time. How easy to defend?
I agree any game of rugby starts up front, but it must be dynamic and when there is a bit of space and some running, lets maximise that by running into space, running onto weaker shoulders, stepping, offloading and just passing to player sin support (also required).
6 Nov 2012, 23:26 pm
Sharp shoot.
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.