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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.
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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.”
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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
This is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
221 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
221 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
24 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
221 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
221 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
64 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
24 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
64 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to commentsThe Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
6 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
9 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
221 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
9 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
9 Go to comments