Burger easing back into it
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After his debut season in Japan, Schalk Burger is happy to make his return to Super Rugby against the Sharks at Newlands off the bench.
Although the Sharks have rushed Burger's fellow Japan-based Springboks Frans Steyn and JP Pietersen back into the starting line-up this weekend, the experienced flank is happy to play an impact role as he tries to adapt to the different demands of Super Rugby.
Following his first stint overseas, Burger admitted that his Japanese is still very basic and added that coming from their winter to the heat of Cape Town this week has been a bit of a shock to the system.
"I can order essentials, and by that I mean that I can order a beer, and obviously I can count reasonably well or otherwise I wouldn't know where the line-out ball is going.
"I got on a flight there and it was probably about minus two or three degrees, and then walked into training at Bellville at 43, so it was a bit of a rude awakening on Cape Town's hottest day for 100 years," he said.
However, the biggest adaptation he will have to make is to the different style of rugby, with more of a focus on physicality in Super Rugby than the Japanese league which gives the players less time to catch their breath.
"It is different, it is a different game. Obviously Super Rugby and Test matches have a different intensity in the build-up and the way people play the game, but there are different challenges for example the Stormers' last game had 34 minutes of ball-in-play and our semifinal against Panasonic had nearly 45 minutes.
"There were 16 games and I started 10, but for the last four weeks I was on the bench. There you can only have two foreign players on the field at any time and three in the match squad so for the last few weeks Fourie du Preez and Tusi Pisi started and I played a supersub role," he explained.
With the Stormers having won their first three games he will make his first contribution as an impact player, which he says is the ideal way to ease back into Super Rugby.
"We have made a good start so it suits me nicely coming off the bench, obviously as the season progresses I am going to have to play 80 minutes so I am quite happy with the way I have been managed," he said.
Although the Stormers are top of the South African conference, Burger warned that they will be tested in their next two home games before they go on tour and pointed out that although the Cape side have not lost they still have room for improvement.
"It is always nice to have momentum, and the big thing for us is that we have got two home games left before we get a bye so it is important for us to really drive this advantage home.
"This weekend is a tough one against the Sharks and then next week we will be playing what will probably be a table-topping Chiefs side, so you take it week-by-week in this competition and it can change quickly.
"We have got off to a good start, but we have got work-ons and stuff that needs to improve, so we need to keep on improving to stay ahead of the game," he said.
Although Burger has captained the Stormers before, he is happy to play a supporting role to current skipper Duane Vermeulen, and knows that he is likely to be called on to lead when the Springbok No.8 is rested this season
"I think Duane has done well enough, so let him be captain for the season and I am sure there is going to be a phase when he needs to be rotated and I can take over from his lead," he said.
By Michael de Vries
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