”You can feel the anticipation and the tension growing because the serious stuff starts this week. Whether you’re a rugby player in South Africa or England, we’re in World Cup countdown and suddenly it feels very real. And that’s just the way it should be — because we’re close now. We’re very close,” says Schalk Burger, the Springbok flanker expected to be one of the stars of the tournament.
On September 14 England and South Africa will contest their crucial and ferocious group game at Stade de France.
”It’s going to be some match,” says Burger. ”England had a rough period but they’re getting back into familiar shape. They’re looking big and tough and that means we’re not complacent. We might have won easily against their second-string team at home a couple of months ago, but a World Cup match will be the real deal.”
Burger believes the winners in Paris will gain a decisive edge in both psychological and practical terms, as the defeated team would probably face a quarterfinal against a resurgent Australia with the mighty All Blacks next in line.
”That’s why beating England is so important. It offers an easier route in the knock-out stages and, more importantly, provides real momentum. I think we’ve got a fair shout because we’re a settled team and, on our day, there is not one side in the world we cannot beat.
”We know that with some luck we can go all the way. England are more an unknown factor, even at this late stage.”
His understated questions about England’s readiness are more pertinent than any acknowledgment of their return to traditional attributes.
”They deserved to win in 2003 because they were, mentally, the toughest and best-equipped team in the world. This time it’s different. I’m not sure they know their best side even now. But they were absolutely dominant against Wales at Twickenham [two weeks ago] and you could see their ascendancy up front. That was the most impressive performance from England in a while. But the match in Marseille will be on another level. We’ll learn a lot more about England then.”
A disappointing if narrow defeat at home to the French last Saturday might be excused by the fact that England fielded an experimental line-up. This weekend their first-choice XV will need to show marked improvement.
”Time is running out for England, but things can turn around quickly. We’ve already seen it with Australian rugby this year. They were very weak in the Super 14 but came back in the Tri-Nations and put out a team that was difficult to beat. England might be doing the same thing but they need to gel together quickly. We also feel we can take them on where they are strongest — up front. We’ve got a great pack,” says Burger.
The rampaging Springbok back row is even more effective than the unit led by the great All Black captain, Richie McCaw.
”They’re our toughest opponents and McCaw is a wonderful player. The All Blacks are really dangerous and can easily score 20 points in 10 minutes, but they’ve had trouble with our defence and we don’t fear them. It’s just lovely to be able to target a World Cup showdown with them because a year ago my future was still pretty uncertain.”
Last June, in a game against Scotland, Burger suffered a grotesque injury to his neck that looked likely to end his career.
”I went in to tackle the Scottish hooker but one of my teammates got there first and that threw me. I ran head first into his shoulder and the impact caused a major compression of the spine. A prolapsed disc pushed down on a nerve and I lost all feeling in my left arm. I should have come off straight away because I was in a bad way. I thought, jeez, that was a hell of a bump. But the only thing you could see was that I’d cut my lip and my nose was bleeding. I thought I’d run it off.”
Some commentators described the excruciating pain that Burger played through as the closest equivalent to trying to shrug off a broken neck. If The Incredible Schalk dismisses such talk, he admits that ”as the match progressed my neck got worse and worse. By two o’clock the next morning I knew something had gone badly wrong. A scan confirmed the bad news. I saw various neurosurgeons and it was a traumatic time. All the papers were full of speculation that I’d never play again.
”The night before the operation was a real ordeal. It’s serious neck-fusion surgery where they take out the old disc and replace it with a piece of bone before screwing it all back together. An awful lot was on the line and so the stress I felt was completely different to the nerves before a big match. Everything was out of my hands.”
Despite the success of the operation, Burger could not play rugby for the next six months. He insists that the complete break has seen him recapture the dynamic form that enabled him to win numerous world player of the year awards in 2004.
”Apart from being good for my body it refreshed me mentally. I spent a lot of time relaxing and cooking.”
Burger is now quick to dispense tips on how to lift the flavour of a piece of fresh salmon with a light glaze of ginger, soy sauce and honey — even if he admits that ”when I tried to make bread it was a complete cock-up. I’ve made some huge messes in the kitchen, but for four months I ate what I liked and drank as much beer and wine as I fancied. It was my first time off from rugby since leaving school.”
The more testing business of discovering whether his refused neck and spine would withstand the brutal impact of professional rugby arrived earlier this year.
”I’ve never been so nervous,” he says, remembering his first session of contact rugby. ”It was fine when I was carrying the ball but, when someone’s running at you, it tells you everything about the state of your body. But I took a full-on hit and survived it. Ever since then, touch wood, I’ve felt wonderful.” — Â