EXCLUSIVE: Springbok Brits confirms retirement u-turn and reveals latest on club search
Schalk Brits today exclusively confirmed to RugbyPass that he has ended his self-imposed retirement from rugby after being convinced by South African coach Rassie Erasmus that he can win a place in the Springboks squad for the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Brits and Erasmus have been in close contact since the former Saracens hooker returned for the Springboks in the final test of their June series with England. Since winning his 11th cap Brits has been examining his options and despite still looking for a new club and having to undertake pre-season training on his own, the 37-year-old told RugbyPass that Cambridge University have agreed to defer his arrival to study for an MBA for another year.
Now, the priority is to prove to Erasmus that he can be part of the Springboks’ Rugby Championship squad and it is understood the Bulls are favourites to land his services for the next Super rugby season although he continues to have strong links with the Stormers. John Mitchell, the Bulls head of rugby, is currently being linked with an England role, however, he has spoken to both Brits and Duane Vermeulen about adding their experience to his squad. The deals have yet to be signed.
Brits, who had a stellar ten year career helping Saracens become Europe’s top team, is currently on holiday with his family in Majorca and said: “Rassie has convinced me to keep on playing and now it is a case of getting the logistics around that in place. I want to play rugby and it was a case of either choosing to continue or do the MBA at Cambridge. We tried to work through all the things that I would need to do playing wise with Cambridge but there were too many clashes and too many missed classes. As result we have deferred it for a year and I will apply again and hopefully get in after the World Cup.
“We were at a point where my wife said “just make a decision” and that is what we have now done. The main problem is that I have entered the rugby market for a new club late. I am currently trying to sort out something with the Stormers or the Bulls and the options in the UK were limited because the squads are already full under the salary cap.”
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Brits, whose final game in England saw him help Saracens become Premiership champions at Twickenham in May, was offered the opportunity to join the club’s pre-season sessions but with no contract in place the question of insurance cover meant he had to, unfortunately, turn this down. That has initiated a period of training on his own, using the programme that allowed him to remain a key member of the Sarries squad. He explained: “It has been quite difficult training on my own. Mark McCall was kind enough to give me permission to do pre-season at Sarries but the question of what happened if I got injured meant I had to do gym work and running on my own.
“After talking with Rassie I had to ask myself if I could physically do what would be required and luckily my time at Sarries involved a rota of hookers being used and that extends your career. It also helps that not being Mako or Billy Vunipola, I don’t run at big men, I run past them. It means my body feels great and from a mental point of view, I had to go from being retired to asking myself about the mental challenge of doing this for another year. That was the most difficult discussion I had to have, but the upside is the opportunity to go to a World Cup and I really believe I can add value to the Springboks on and off the pitch.”
Brits is aware that having been lauded as arguably the best overseas signing the Premiership has seen, by coming back he could damage that legacy. Having gone out on a high at Twickenham, playing on needed to be at a similar level. “If I play and I am not in top shape then people will say I am past it” admitted Brits. “That is why I have been training harder than I have for a couple of years. When you reach your 30’s people say you are too old and you need to prove them wrong.
“I am sure that in the first couple of sessions when I joined the Boks for the England tests they probably thought I was going to coach but things went well and I showed what I could do. You get judged at every training session and that is why I am working so hard to be in top shape. The Super rugby pre-season is in January but I need to be fit to put myself forward for the Rugby Championship squad. I am hoping to be involved for the Championship and I would then head back to South Africa.”
South Africa start their Rugby Championship campaign at home to Argentina in Durban on August 18 and travel to Mendoza a week later.
Comments on RugbyPass
It couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments