Schalk Burger’s verdict on Springboks’ fly-half gamble: ‘Nice thing about a full-back at 10’
Lions full-back Quan Horn impressed at fly-half for the Springboks last weekend.
Schalk Burger has praised Quan Horn’s performance for the Springboks against the Barbarians after Rassie Erasmus gambled on the Lions star.
Horn hadn’t played a professional match for the Lions in the number 10 jumper but often pops up in the first-receiver role for the Jo’burgers while the franchise utilises his excellent kicking game to great effect.
During the 2025/26 URC season, he completed the joint-most 50:22s (4), while the 24-year-old also kicked more times than any other Lions player (117) and his teammates managed to reclaim possession with 17 of his kicks.
He also pitched in with seven try assists, with his stats all pointing towards being a solid option in the fly-half position despite never actually starting in the role, particularly with the Boks attacking with more endeavour since Tony Brown joined Erasmus’ coaching team.
Verdict on Quan Horn’s shift at fly-half for the Springboks
Horn has subsequently been included in the squad for the Nations Championship opener against England, where he will look to add to his single official Test cap. He is more likely to return to the back three if he does so with three out-and-out number 10s included in the squad in the form of Manie Libbok, Handre Pollard and the uncapped Vusi Moyo.
Damian Willemse is another possible option, having started in the role for the Springboks previously, while Cheslin Kolbe has also played club rugby at fly-half before.
Still, Burger and fellow former Springbok forward, Hanyani Shimange, believe that Horn is a handy option in the position, judging on his performance against the Baa-Baas.
“He was very good,” Shimange remarked on the Verdict podcast.
“He is so dangerous when he takes the ball flat, and he’s got that step where he goes inside outside.”
Horn’s footwork in traffic and close to the line is something that stood out for Burger, with the Lions star using his full-back skills in the number 10 jersey.
“We saw that in a couple of attacking sets where he’s on the gainline and is a running threat. That’s the nice thing when you have a full-back playing at 10: he’s looking for attacking threats. He’s a runner,” he said.
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Tougher challenges await Horn
Still, Burger was mindful of the quality of opposition the Boks faced on Saturday and that tougher challenges lay ahead of Horn if he were to be selected in the position again.
“Obviously, game management will be the hard thing,” he continued.
“If this game was a proper Test match in an arm wrestle in Cape Town, for example, where it’s a little bit wetter, that’s not going to be a comfortable experience for him.
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“Then defensively it’s different; you’re in the front line, the alignment is going to be key, you see different pictures that you’re not used to, but I loved him on attack.”
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Moyo and Ahmed’s performances
The former Boks were also impressed by the other players who featured at fly-half in the double-header, with Moyo shining off the bench in the latter stages of the game after some words of encouragement from Brown.
Jean de Villiers took note of the way Yaqeen Ahmed ‘controlled the game’ when he turned out for the SA ‘A’ team. Ahmed was red-carded for what the former centre described as a ‘brainfart’.
“On Ahmed, he got frustrated because the seven held him back, but I think he was more frustrated by his decision-making with going for the chip kick – it was a red card all day,” Burger added.
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