Burger back in business
16 Jan 2013
Fit-again Springbok flanker Schalk Burger will captain the Stormers in Super Rugby this season.
Stormers coach Allister Coetzee also confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that Jean de Villiers, who led the team to the top of the combined log last season, would be the team’s vice-captain.
‘We are blessed with an incredibly strong leadership base in every position,’ said Coetzee. ‘Schalk will have the Springbok captain in Jean de Villiers to lean on, a Currie Cup-winning captain in Deon Fourie and I haven’t even mentioned the likes of Andries Bekker, Tiaan Liebenberg, Duane Vermeulen, Dewaldt Duvenage and Bryan Habana – all of whom are leaders in their positions.’
The squad has been in Hermanus since Monday and the coach expressed his delight at the work done so far.
‘We’ve upped the rugby-specific side of things this week, but we’re also having a bit of fun and the guys have responded really well. We’ve still got two days to go after this, including a fun adventure race on Friday, and then we will turn our attention to next month’s warm-up matches.’
The Stormers will face the Cheetahs on 2 February in Bloemfontein and the Boland Kavaliers on 9 February in Wellington.
132 Comments
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17 Jan 2013, 13:36 pm
@grant10-98:
hehehe
whew! the world isn’t coming to an end.
17 Jan 2013, 18:49 pm
@ufo-93:
The point I was trying to make is when the ball needs to go wide, Burger should stay out of first receiver.
18 Jan 2013, 06:38 am
@Te Rangatira-102:
oh yes, i understood the point you were trying to make….
i just don’t agree that this is a personal selfish choice of burger’s but part of the team’s game plan…
a role which eben carried out with great success through the year in schalk’s absence…
people love it when eben does it and cheer him on but hate it when schalk does…
go figure…
18 Jan 2013, 07:29 am
@ufo-103: When Eben does what?
18 Jan 2013, 07:38 am
@Te Rangatira-87: Yes Siya could play that role as well. I think Burger is pulling rank and putting himself in that position.
18 Jan 2013, 07:51 am
@Sasuke-104:
carries the ball up… sometimes from a first receiver position…
@Sasuke-105:
*sigh*
yeah… of course… burger is the real coach… he tells AC what to do… can just see burger strolling into newlands declaring…
“okay allister, I’m back… thanks for looking after my team in my absence… now it’s all about me again…”
you obviously don’t have a very high opinion of burger or AC…
18 Jan 2013, 09:43 am
@ufo-103:
Well Ufo, hears to Burger having an injury free season and recapturing the form that made him the best . Perhaps that maybe a big ask but just having his name on the team sheet is a big boost for the Stormers.
18 Jan 2013, 10:14 am
@ufo-103: That is a very good point…
18 Jan 2013, 14:25 pm
@Te Rangatira-107:
yeah ranga… indeed it is a big ask… but us stormers fans are famous for living in hope…
thanks…
just btw… you do know that the blues are my kiwi team too…?
@willievz-108:
shot willie…
18 Jan 2013, 14:29 pm
@ufo-109: Hi there! What was encouraging to me is the fact that the photo of Schalk taken at their training camp in Hermanus showed no bandages / taping / Elastoplast around his knee !!
Maybe it wasn’t a contact session but still……………..usually the guys are so strapped up after a knee injury………… We can only hope !!
18 Jan 2013, 14:33 pm
BTW Ufo, a friend of mine is currently doing contract work in Upington. He has 2 season tickets available for this season on the Grand Stand Upper Gallery around the 10m line on the southern side. He will not be able to attend any matches and has decided to sell it for the season @ normal union prices. If you know of anybody interested, will you please let me know. The tickets have been in his family for ages
18 Jan 2013, 14:37 pm
I don’t think this was the right move.
This garantee’s him a starting spot and I feel he needs to ease into the game off the bench.
I hope I’m wrong though..
18 Jan 2013, 14:41 pm
@Jeraldjay-112: Although I tend to agree with your argument (in general terms), Schalk has shown in the past that he can slot in without having any game time. Whenever he has returned from injury it never seemed that he was “away” in the first place.
18 Jan 2013, 14:45 pm
@ufo-109: You might be living in hope.
But…
The only province that currently have trophies (any trophies) locked in its cabinet is the one that plays its rugby underneath Table Mountain.
Vodacom Cup
Currie Cup
18 Jan 2013, 14:47 pm
@CharlesM-113:
True. Juan Smith also has that same ability but these guys are getting older and as an upstart it was a walk in the park but when you on the other side of 30 things change.
Also I don’t think he ever had issues with his knee’s. It has always been upper body injuries.
18 Jan 2013, 14:52 pm
@willievz-114: have = has
18 Jan 2013, 14:54 pm
@CharlesM-110:
hey bud… that’s very good news… as you say… we can only hope…
also enjoyed your news about carlos and lambie… great for sharks and bok rugby… if pat can play a little like carlos the rest of us are gonna suffer…
@CharlesM-111:
i will ask around charles and see if i can find anyone… most of my mates have season tickets but will put the word out and see if anyone is interested and let you know…
@Jeraldjay-112:
yeah jj… i said a while back and several times since the announcement that i would have started schalk from the bench in the second half to give him time for his body to get used to the knocks again as only playing time can… so you and i would have done the same thing as coach…
but we’re not… and there’s little point in all the hating on schalk (not suggesting you’re one of them) as if this was all his idea and doing…
i don’t know why some fans get so personal about players…
if anything it must ruin watching a game if a fan dislikes a player so much…
right now we can do two things… wait and see… and live in hope…
but it’s gonna be fascinating to watch it all unfold…
can’t wait…
18 Jan 2013, 14:59 pm
@ufo-117: Thanks !! My friend doesn’t really have a network of friends and asked me to ask around – I said I’ll try: no harm in asking.
I still have to renew mine as well – I usually wait until close to the cut-off date. My son is starting varsity this year and I can’t actually afford the season tickets but hey…….this might be our year and I don’t want to miss out !!! (Okay….the “dream on” comments etc will soon follow lol)
18 Jan 2013, 15:03 pm
have said a couple of times already that in the long-term interests of wp/stormers i would have made eben captain and have had schalk and jean as his onfield mentors…
apparently not a popular view on keo… but i reckon it has so many benefits for eben and the team it would have been worth it…
18 Jan 2013, 15:08 pm
@CharlesM-118:
no harm in trying charles and i certainly will too…
i can’t really afford them either but it’s my one splurge a year for the last few… my mates are not financially challenged like me so they do it without even thinking… and sometimes don’t even make it to the games… which I always give them a hard time about…
but life is about living and sharing and making memories… and what better way to do that than with family and/or friends watching rugby at newlands…!
(while it is still held there…)
18 Jan 2013, 15:19 pm
@ufo-119: I’m not too sure about Eben’s leadership qualities though!
As far as I can recall he hasn’t been a team captain before – schools etc.
Maybe in a year or 2 perhaps ?
18 Jan 2013, 15:27 pm
@CharlesM-121:
yeah i know charles…
thing is… i’m really worried that eben is going to earn himself a label as a thug and ruin what could be a legendary career…. maybe giving him that responsibility will teach him to channel his energy more positively… and that’s why having schalk and jean to mentor him onfield would be so important…
i do believe he can do it though…
remember when he was trapped under the ruck in the highlanders game and two guys charged him while he couldn’t defend himself… and he just looked up and gestured for them to try again…
takes a certain type of person to take that sort of a hit and still keep a clear head as eben did… and it’s those little things that make me believe he’d be a good captain… and grow into a great one…
but yeah… all speculation on my part…
18 Jan 2013, 15:29 pm
earn the label of a thug because he’s starting to believe all the press and others about him being the new bakkies…
i’d rather go the other way by making him captain the press and others would be talking about him having to be responsible as the captain…
18 Jan 2013, 15:36 pm
lekker
SuperSport has secured the rights to the
Sonny Bill Williams vs Frans Botha
boxing bout next month (Quade Cooper
on the undercard).
18 Jan 2013, 15:38 pm
@Te Rangatira-102:
@ufo-103:
Nobody actually said that Burger will be doing this. Let’s wait and see.
18 Jan 2013, 15:43 pm
@TooMuchRugby-125:
indeed TMR…
18 Jan 2013, 15:50 pm
@ufo-123: I hear what you’re saying but I feel that with Bekker (fit hopefully) next to him and Duane behind him they’ll be able to keep him calm. Obviously Schalk will be there as well.
IMO he has much more controlled aggression than Bakkies for instance………….but that is just my view
18 Jan 2013, 15:57 pm
@CharlesM-127:
The press’ labelling of Etsebeth as a thug is totally unfounded. He hasn’t scratched the surface of Bakkies’ stupendous displays of thuggery.
18 Jan 2013, 16:07 pm
@CharlesM-127:
i agree his aggression is a lot more controlled… but the stupid little things like the air-headbutt and the eoyt stuff could see him being labelled… fairly or unfairly… captaincy can bring the best out of players and a reckon it would from eben too…
also on current form he is about the only player guaranteed his place in the stormers… ( a few more too)… so we wouldn’t have the issues of believing he was just getting a start because he was captain…
anyway… as i said all wild speculation on my part…
but that’s what’s really great about keo… discussing things and getting considered rational feedback from people who know what they’re talking about…
19 Jan 2013, 02:22 am
@ufo-109:
I know this is a belated reply mate….yes I know you like the Blues and they are your Kiwi team of choice….I wish I could reciprocate and put the Stormers up there but I usually follow certain players from Sa not teams, now the Kings are joining the comp I feel some affiliation with them and they are the Sa team I will be cheering for. Go Kings…..
19 Jan 2013, 07:59 am
no prob ranga… wasn’t expecting or suggesting a reciprocal thing… just having you, popps, hurricane, china and cane giving the nz perspective is cool enough…
i want the kings to do well and put up credible performances and to be taken seriously… i reckon everyone is interested in how they’re gonna do… looking forward to it
19 Jan 2013, 16:50 pm
Another walking sicknote.
Go and stand next to Andre Pretorius…and don’t move. Something is bound to fall off.
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