Why South Africans are so sought after around the world

There is barely a league in the world that is not currently loaded with South Africans- from World Cup winners to players who have never come close to wearing the Springbok jersey.

The trend in recent years is that any team or league that can splash the cash is likely to go for South African players over any other nation.

The simple reason, according to Schalk Burger, is “we’ve got a lot of them,” but he believes there are deeper reasons which stem from the youth set-up.

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The Springboks great discussed with his former teammate Jean de Villiers why South Africans are in such high demand around the world on the latest episode of RugbyPass TV’s Boks Office.

The pair enjoyed plenty of success away from their homeland during their careers – Burger with Suntory Sungoliath in Japan and Saracens, de Villiers with Munster and Leicester Tigers – and shared their thoughts on why their compatriots do too.

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“Especially in the beginning, say in Japan, it was probably Australia and New Zealand that dominated that market space,” Burger said.

“But now South Africans are so sought after and I think it’s a couple of things. I think it’s work ethic- the fact that our youth structure is so brutal that you get two years and if you don’t perform, you’re gone. You arrive there and you can’t catch a kick-off, you’re not getting coached to get better.

“These kids go across and get a second shot at being a pro rugby player and they’re just absolutely desperate to make it. They also feel a loss, they don’t like losing, and I think that’s really important.”

De Villiers feels that the South African culture is a contributing factor, adding: “I think that we take a lot of pride in the way that we sell ourselves as individuals but also as South Africans. You’re not going to go there to a club and just be there and take the pay cheque at the end of the month. It’s a personal thing, it’s a pride thing.

“Every time you play, you play to win. I think the fight element that we have, we don’t give up. It’s due to the circumstances of South Africa and also, some have it far tougher than others, but we’re a nation where we find solutions to problems because problems have been part of our lives since day one.”