Schalk Burger has just been chosen as the 2004 International Rugby Board's International Player of the Year. The talented 21-year-old flanker has also been named the 2004 Absa SA Rugby Player of the Year, as well as Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year by the International Rugby Players' Association.
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Burger is a rare phenomenon of the sport. It only took a few matches for this young player’s innate ability to be recognised.
His many attributes, including upper body strength, pace, dominance at the breakdown, good anticipation, good hands and total commitment to every game have helped make him a star performer in South African rugby over the past year. If he has any faults, they lie with his sometimes rash temperament, which have earned him reprimands from both refs and coach.
"What Schalk does on the field is things you film and use in training videos. You cannot teach someone to play like this. He does it instinctively because he is a natural. Schalk has set new standards of openside play in his first season in the Test arena and, in future, he will be judged according to these standards," says Springbok coach Jake White. "He is a very special player who works for everything he gets and that is why he deserves everything that goes with it."
Age: 21
Height: 193cm
Weight: 106kg
Born in: Port Elizabeth
Provincial team: Western Province
Position: Flank
Injuries: Burger injured his left knee during the third week of the 2004 European Tour.
Schalk Burger has just been chosen as the 2004 International Rugby Board's International Player of the Year. The talented 21-year-old flanker has also been named the 2004 Absa SA Rugby Player of the Year, as well as Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year by the International Rugby Players' Association.
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