There's been a dramatic twist in Schalk Brits' search for a new club
Schalk Brits, who came out of retirement to play for South Africa in their series win over England in June, has had to find a new club after a deal to sign with the Stormers fell through.
Brits, 37, was scheduled to join the Cape Town based Super Rugby squad but financial problems affecting the franchise became a major factor. The Western Province Union, which has the Stormers as its franchise, has been battling serious financial issues with reports they are planning to contract 60 players less in 2019 than they did this year.
Nizaam Carr, who joined Wasps, Dewaldt Duvenage and Raymond Rhule were amongst the first to be released. Western Province have been forced to deny they are imposing a 25 per cent cut on all staff, management and players earning more than R20 000 a month.
He has now signed for the Bulls, who in contrast has reported a profit for the last year thanks to the £200,000 they received in compensation from the Rugby Football Union who wanted head coach John Mitchell as England’s defence coach.
Brits hopes the move will help in his bid to prove he deserves to make the Springboks World Cup squad in Japan.
Brits spent a decade at Saracens helping them to European and Premiership glory and retired at the end of last season to bid for a place at Cambridge University with the aim of taking part in the Varsity Match. That has been put on hold but he still wants to undertake a course and play in one of the most famous rugby fixtures in the sport once his season with the Bulls is over and any World Cup involvement is finished.
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Brits is in the Barbarians match squad to face Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday having had to bide his time as an unused member of the Springboks European tour squad. The Baabaas are coached by Rassie Erasmus, the Springboks coach, who believes Brits input could be vital in a team lacking experience heading into the World Cup.
Brits, who has won 11 caps, has kept himself fit with a punishing training programme and is relishing the thought of getting back into action against the Pumas. He told RugbyPass; “ I planned to go the Stormers but then I received a message saying they had financial issues and so now I will be joining the Bulls. I will start training with the Bulls in January and it is fantastic to be joining them and while it is for one season it is exciting. After the World Cup I am definitely done!
“I have been waiting a while to get my boots on and I am really looking forward to Saturday’s match against a very good Pumas team. I will have to merit my selection for the Bulls and if I am successful then I will give myself a chance with Boks to make the World Cup.”
Tickets for the Barbarians v Argentina Killik Cup match start at £20. www.ticketmaster.co.uk/barbarians
Comments on RugbyPass
Job done guys. Great win in a game where things can quickly go wrong.
1 Go to commentsAlex Sanderson fantastic coach and person .So pleased he has signed another contract great days ahead for Sale under his leadership.
1 Go to commentsAndy Goode cant kick to 12
162 Go to commentsDoxed himself. Great work Johnny. You are well suited to the Saders
1 Go to comments_Best game players _
1 Go to commentsWho's Jarrad Hohepa?
1 Go to commentsSo let me get this straight. Say you have the dominant scrum. You are 99% sure you can go for a scrum pushover try on the line to win the game. The opposition knows it too. They give away a silly tap kick instead. You are now not allowed to scrum. This is ridiculous! *%@ing the game up as usual! The fact that the attacking teams are not allowed to scrum from a held up over the line is just as ridiculous. Really world rugby? Careful people might start a rebel league called True Rugby or Real Rugby.
76 Go to comments12 subs during a game? How has that been allowed to happen NB? I hate when the game goes in this monopolistic direction closing up shop, it just becomes non sport. Btw have you seen anything of how Liam Coltman was tracking for Lyon? He has just signed to return to Otago though we have a couple of young hookers developing here. He was a popular gentle natured character down here and I’m glad to see him back but maybe he will be a mentor primarily?
11 Go to commentsGreat breakdown and the global politics always confuses me a little. The southern hemisphere seems to be left out a bit but I wouldn’t even know where to start with fixing it. Club challenge could be a step in the right direction
11 Go to commentsSince he coached Free state, from that time onwards, I maintained he was the coach for the Boks. A nice, no nonsense guy with an excellent brain, who gets results.
11 Go to commentswell - they only played against 14 men and had the TMO team on their side - and still should have lost… so actually that makes sense.
33 Go to commentsSouthern hemisphere Rugby is exactly that, boring. Northern Hemisphere Rugby is soooo much more entertaining and better with better players.
2 Go to commentsIf he was to be cited for a dangerous behavior, then it’s natural that he should be. Then NTamack too, yes? And I’ll add a good whataboutism - Yeandle eye-gouging on Richie Arnold: not cited. Eye-gouging. Not high tackle. Eye-gouging. It was on French TV, with French TV directors.
5 Go to commentsReally poorly written rambling piece ..
11 Go to commentsIt was so boring
2 Go to commentspersonally I’d go with : 1. France 2. NZ 3. England 4. Ireland 5. Scotland
33 Go to commentsAndy everything becomes easier with experience therefor counting etc straight after a match becomes easier when you have 100+ caps vs 17 which is the experience you speak from.
162 Go to commentsGetting rid of the Dupont Law is a good thing and ought to have been done months ago! Officially getting rid of the croc roll is a good thing. The law about no scrums from a short arm is well intended in terms of speeding the game up but it’s an overreaction to a clever yet calculated gamble that could have blow up in South Africa’s face if they conceded a penalty from the scrum that was set after Willemse took claimed the mark in the World Cup QF.
76 Go to commentsRassie The GOAT
11 Go to commentsOf their 5 big matches in RWC Scotland and NZ were the easiest. They took a 12-3 lead against NZ and after the red decided it was best to hold the lead and take chances that came. None came and it was tight but they dug a lot deeper in the other two knock out matches. They had trounced NZ in Twickenham in a fixture that NZ must now regret. Psychology was clearly with SA in the final as a result.
33 Go to comments