Jake On Brussow And Burger
Aug 29,2011
Former Springbok coach Jake White - on RugbyXV.co.za - answers readers' best questions on comparing Heinrich Brussow and Schalk Burger and New Zealand's World Cup chances.
Q: What are your thoughts on Heinrich Brussow?
I recall in 2009 you said that you would play Schalk Burger ahead of him, but having a player who forces the opposition to commit to rucks as he does seems to have become pretty valuable?
A: I always knew what I had in Schalk and I rated him – I wasn't alone as many rated him as one of the best players in the world.
I never had to pick between Schalk and Heinrich because he wasn't around then, I was lucky enough to have Schalk and Juan Smith.
Schalk also provides a lineout option, which is why I'd pick him ahead of Heinrich, but without Juan there, they can definitely play together.
For the full Q&A, click here.
Comments (23)
Aug 30, 2011 at 00:16:12
Jake very cleverly tries to pretend that he wasn't light years behind the game when he declared that SA didn't need a "fetcher".Schalk eventually evolved into our fetcher, but we lost many test matches before he became competitive with Richie and George Smith.Our obsession with big lumbering forwards has got to end as the game is just so much quicker. Also the line-outs are not so critical, since lifting has negated the need for 8 tall lads-you just need a hooker who can throw straight and two decent locks.
Aug 30, 2011 at 00:17:36
Bismark HAS to start at 2! He is NOT a loose forward any more than Smit is our best hooker OR PROP!
Aug 30, 2011 at 09:06:32
Yes, I would also play both, Schalk at 6, Brussouw at 7 and Spies at 8.
Would not play Bismark as a loose forward, we need him at Hooker, and Alberts in a very able impact loosie to come off the bench.
Aug 30, 2011 at 10:31:01
yeah. smit can still captain the team while matfield leads them onto the field for the first 60 till smit comes on. experienced players coming on giving their two cents with little time to go can be vital
Aug 30, 2011 at 12:43:14
Bismark and Brussouw just have to start for the boks, Smit should never be played at Prop, especially now that it is a bit of a lottery at the moment at the scrum.
Burger did try to play seven for the Stormers when Watson was in the squad, but that never worked. Spies is a bit of a hit and miss and I would say Burgers hands and passing are way better than Spies. His all round play is great as he is all over the park, put in big hits, carries the ball well. So I would rather put him at 8. I would also maybe play Alberts at 7 and bring Spies on as impact players. But I think having either Spies or Alberts as impact would be great. Keeping in mind that the coach will need to read the game and the players involvement in the game. If he is on fire, why take him off. If he is lagging and you need the intensity or the game is more suited to the player on the bench then bring him on.
My Back 3 would be:
6 Brussouw 7 Alberts 8 Burger
Just keep in mind that burger hasn't played for a while and will need to get rid of the rust in the pool stages and will need to managed accordingly.
Aug 30, 2011 at 13:27:24
Cheetahs no 8 Johnson is your man - definitely off the bench at the very least. Him with Brussow / Spies / Burger will smash kiwis backrow in SFs if you guys and all chokes get there....
Aug 30, 2011 at 13:44:41
very nice points that you highlight...bismarck as flank hmmmmm ??? never thought of it. not bad option for a open sider.he can even throw into the line outs.
does give you that more beef and muggrel in the pack but we have a lot of options in the backrow.
we breed flank's while the AB"S tends to breed wingers. loads of options and but heinrich has burger over that jersey. burger can't be picked over heinrich. you can get away with a slower backrow combo against the northern teams but against the AB and wobblies you need him more than ever.
Aug 30, 2011 at 14:03:00
Very true, there was a massive case for Luke Watson during his tenure which never got a fair look in, but certain coaches look for certain things - nothing wrong with that
Aug 30, 2011 at 17:47:30
jake being a hypocrite man,, i remember a few years back he said brussow should be fetching him beers from the fridge and would not even have had him in the squad. pisses me off man, brussow should ko him man!!
Aug 30, 2011 at 19:00:01
I agreed with you, Johnson can be an impact player... he was in form in super rugby and he did it well like BOK. He deserve be in the squad.
Aug 30, 2011 at 19:18:28
Awesome flankers both and with a spare tyre of Alberts...Mc Caw and Poprick must be shitting themselves.
Aug 30, 2011 at 20:06:55
My understanding is that these are our wc loosies brussow, Burger,flo,alberts and spies with danie as a cover. From these guys the question is who are the 2 guys to play with brussow. The obvious choice is burger and spies because of the With alberts on bench. Yes burger and brussow can play together, Burger does play well with another fetcher,flo,so he shouldn't have problems with brussow.
But without juan I have a feeling danie will be our 7 because He is not only a ball carrier but a good lineout option. My loosies would be Brussow Danie Spies
Bench: Burger Alberts
Yes its possible if we have a 5/2 split bench. I'm sad that I can't find a place for my fav player flo,I hope he Gets some gametime.
Aug 31, 2011 at 03:53:06
Sheesh. When thumb-in-your-eye Burger finally recovers from his broken nail he'll get pwned as usual by Ali and Thorne. His best days are well behind him. Looky here! He was getting smashed by the ABs 6 years ago. You guys really think he is better now? LOL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUy_PSQOiXU&feature=related
Roid-rager Spies only plays a half-decent game once in a long while. The law of averages would suggest he is due a shocker in the very near future. Maybe his suspect groin injury, no doubt incurred whilst admiring himself in the mirror, will hold out for the RWC but we've all seen how well Bokke cope with injuries. Can you say 22 man recuperation camp?
Brussouw is undeniably a great player but he is renown for his injury proclivities and wont survive the pysically intense pool matches against the feisty Fijians and/or the smash'em Samoans. If he does progress and the Bokke top thier pool, it'll be lil-çock and Brussouw pulverising each other into a sloppy mess just in time for the ABs.
Hey, does noone else see the irony of thumb in your eye Burger breaking his eye-gouging digit? Wonderfully hilarious illustration of poetic justice. Lets just wait and see what the universe has in stall for that perenial tackle shirker "knee-you-on-the-ground Shady Cooper". Priceless!
Aug 31, 2011 at 14:30:53
Burger, Spies and Brussouw. Alberts on the bench. Period!!
Aug 31, 2011 at 15:06:32
or... get your hands off the ball in the ruck richie mccaw - his justice will come in the form of presiding over another choke in the UNloseable RWC...
Aug 31, 2011 at 15:19:48
another youtube clip from the boylover atlone fairy nukefreekiwi
whats next a broadway musical mate. can your girlish figure still fit in a tutu
Aug 31, 2011 at 15:52:55
Dude,Nukefreegirlie, you are a twat bro. Brussow owned your cheat of a captain over and over again. You guys are going to choke again and its gona be priceless.
Cant wait for the chain emails, every 4 years, since email has been around we have been getting the "All Black bra joke - All the support but no cup"
Sep 02, 2011 at 02:29:36
LOL! Hilarious. Fishy knickers, Dumb and dumber and Bloody-tampon all slumming it together in one truely unnatural and debauched mènage à trois. It's almost like one of those heaving serpent mating balls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FStzMBnWofE&feature=related
My only question is; who gets to play the woman first?
Sep 02, 2011 at 03:02:26
What a 'problem' to have. The wrecking ball or the stealaing ball?? My only question is "when will you guys wake up to Pierre Spectator?". He has all the physical attributes but, goddam, he is one lazy SOB. I've NEVER seen him play 80 minutes. Not once. He drifts in and out of games and is consistently found to be hopeless on defence. What am I missing? Tell me when hes destroyed his opposite or played 80 full minutes at full pace? I'm fully prepared to be wrong, just can't ever recall seeing the guy do his job properly.
Sep 02, 2011 at 17:33:17
a mate of mine said he saw your sis doing some community service work in a shelter. She was giving 50 cent blowjobs to everyone. After they saw her Adams apple and beard they woefully declined.
looks like the family business is going great mate. things look to going on the up and up
and here we have yet another youtube clip. you running out of words you fairy. looks like he is going al french. is the 2007 RWC still in your mind ???
Sep 05, 2011 at 11:53:52
With SA's pool I hope you have lots of spare loose fwds in your squad - Samoa / Fiji & Welsh (Maybe) will bring it to you very physically - IMO I'd be keeping the boy brossouw for more critical encounters - he is a little injury prone...
Love to see him own McCaw in Semis - that would be awesome....
Then we'd touch you boks up like the last dozen times or so.... hahahah
Aug 29, 2011 at 22:18:30
The best 2 loose forwards in South Africa. Both must start every game. Brussouw at 6, Schalk at either 7 or 8.
It is just a case of who is the 3rd loose forward. Maybe Spies at 8 as the incumbent and has been back in form lately. Willem Alberts the battering ram on the bench as the impact player. If he returns to form now that he is over his injury maybe could take the Starting spot from Spies.
Another option is to play Bismarck du Plessis at number 7 if John Smit is on the field. It would be better than playing Smit at prop.