My rugby hero: Schalk Brits

David Skippers

During the 2019/20 season, we dig through the archives to highlight a hero from years gone by. Next up, it’s Saracens rugby legend Schalk Brits.

Player background

Schalk Burger Brits was born on 16 May, 1981 in Empangeni, a town north of Durban, and is remembered as one of the game’s most colourful characters. His infectious personality warmed the hearts of many, while his athleticism and outstanding skill-set on the field saw him thrill all supporters around the world.

Despite being small, a facet which did ultimately hold him back at Test level, Brits made up for it with his mobility in the loose and deceptive power in contact. The hooker was also efficient in the set-piece, both at scrum time and in the lineout, and very rarely let his team down.

South Africa’s obsession with size may have held him back initially but the immensely talented forward’s outstanding performances were eventually recognised.

Brits earned his first cap for the Springboks in 2008, which was just reward for his form at Super 14 level, but he wasn’t quite appreciated by the national team for what he offered and was quickly forgotten following their loss to Australia in July of that year. As a result, the hooker decided to move to the northern hemisphere, signing a deal with Saracens, and served notice of his excellence by producing a stunning display for the Barbarians against England at Twickenham in May 2009.

It was the type of performance that became a regular occurrence in London as Sarries started their journey of developing into one of Europe’s top sides. Brits was at the heart of that, helping them to three domestic titles and two Champions Cup wins before announcing his retirement in 2017.

That proved to be premature, however, as the front-rower joined the Bulls and was called up to the South Africa squad for the 2019 World Cup – his second global tournament after featuring four years earlier. Brits played in two games during their stunning run to the Webb Ellis Cup before calling it quits for a second time to end an eclectic and wonderfully joyous career.

His rugby moment

There are several individual efforts which standout, from Brits’ performance for the Barbarians in 2009 to his incredible non-stop displays in his opening two seasons at Saracens and then the hooker’s magic against Northampton Saints in 2017, which led to calls of ‘one more year.’ However, for pure significance, you cannot really go beyond the 2011 Premiership as the Londoners claimed the title for the first time in their history.

In a team that was conservative and favoured a kick-orientated game, Brits was the spark and was often used in backfield to counter-attack from deep. His athleticism was a huge bonus in the loose and, in matches that were tight, it wasn’t necessarily the backline that made the decisive break or scored the crucial try but the hooker.

Sarries used him intelligently and the results were evident, leading to successive final appearances in 2010 and ’11. Despite defeat in the former, it was a close contest against Leicester Tigers and set them up nicely for another tilt at the title a year later.

Once again, the most successful side in English rugby were their opponents, but this time the Londoners were too good for the Midlanders. Brits was at his very best, earning the man of the match award for his all-action performance, and it was his run and off-load which set up their only try of the contest.

It was typical of the forward, who received the ball 40 metres out and sprinted towards a disjointed Tigers rearguard. He then used his pace to get on the outside shoulder of the first-up defence and found James Short on the left wing to finish impressively.

While there were perhaps more spectacular moments in the front-rower’s career, this was significant for Sarries, who finally had their first Premiership trophy after years of underachievement. With Brits at the helm for the next few seasons, they would go from strength-to-strength and eventually dominate, both in Europe and on the domestic front.

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