Dirty work for Schalk

24 April 2015 - 02:02 By Craig Ray

Last week Schalk Burger was sipping Champagne and eating fine foods after winning the "Comeback of the Year" at the prestigious Laureus Sports Awards in Shanghai. Tomorrow he'll have to roll up his sleeves and do dirty work. Burger has been selected at openside flank for the Stormers for their crunch Super Rugby clash against the Bulls at Newlands.Burger, 32, has reinvented himself as a linking, passing, running flank since returning to the game after spending several days in a coma from bacterial meningitis in 2013.But tomorrow he'll be asked to go back to his roots as a blockbusting openside flank and battle for the ball against a formidable Bulls unit."It's not such a big mind-shift for me because in broken play I'll still be able to be a part of the game," Burger said. "But from structured play where their defence is good I'll have to play towards the ball a little more."It will be a big challenge, not only against a good Bulls pack, but a very good Bulls team."Deon Stegmann has been very effective on the ground and he has been playing well. When he plays, their loose trio has balance, which makes them more effective and a massive asset for them. If we can keep him quiet that will improve our chances."Last week [against the Force] our weakness was that we didn't play cohesively towards the ball as a unit."So it's not only on me to get the job done, but on the pack as a whole."The challenge excites Burger, but he also admits that he prefers playing against teams from New Zealand and Australia, rather than those from his own country."Believe it or not I prefer playing against overseas opponents," Burger said. "But this is the one - the big north-south derby that we all grew up watching."It's always such a tough day at the office. It's more fun against New Zealand and Australian opposition for some reason. These fixtures are really personal."Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has had to reshuffle his backline due to injuries to wings Kobus van Wyk and Dillyn Leyds.In come Pat Howard for his Super Rugby debut and Johnny Kotze, who started the first five games of the campaign.Captain and No8 Duane Vermeulen also returns after a two- week rest break, while prop Steven Kitshoff and centre Damian de Allende make their 10th consecutive starts.Both players were described as "red flag" candidates by Coetzee, meaning their workload has reached a point where they will probably be rested next weekend.The other change is at scrumhalf, where Nic Groom returns in place of Louis Schreuder in a rotational switch.The teams have met 23 times at Super Rugby level, with the Stormers holding a 13-9 winning edge with one draw.At Newlands the Stormers have won seven of the previous 11 encounters, with one draw...

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.