Burger the "true warrior"
When Schalk Burger runs out against the Highlanders in the Stormers next Super Rugby match, he will become the fourth player to reach the magical 100 appearance mark for the Super Rugby franchise.
Burger, who was out of the game for two years due to injury and serious illness, has been describe by coach Allister Coetzee and team mate Siya Kolisi as a "true warrior" and a person who has the respect of everyone in the Western Province Union.
The 31-year-old joins Andries Bekker (2013), Jean de Villiers and Peter Grant (both 2014) to become the Stormers' fourth player to reach the milestone and Kolisi – who openly admits to Burger being his childhood idol – is happy to be part of his hero's milestone.
"It is going to be an honour and privilege for me to be playing with Schalk [Burger], everyone knows he has been my hero since I was young and now I get to share in this special occasion with him.
"As team mates we all want to do our best for him even though he wants the focus to be on the team and not himself, but it will be great to make it special for him. We want to play out of our boots because we know how special he is for the Union.
"He has been a warrior on and off the field and a role model for everyone. He has fought battles, both on and off the field, and we all have the world of respect for him for what he has achieved. It is going to be a special occasion for all of us," Kolisi said.
Coetzee also had special praise for the Laureus Comeback of the Year nominee and stated that the loose forward is held in high regard by his team mates.
"We talk about Schalk [Burger] and what he has meant to Western Province and the Stormers over the years and he is a true warrior and a talented bloke. The rest of the players hold him in high regard. It means a lot for us to have him back, especially for a player like Siya [Kolisi] who sees Schalk as his hero growing up and now gets to play with him.
"He is now about to play his 100th Super Rugby game after being out of the game for two years, it just shows the character of the man. This guy is just an amazingly talented sportsman. I am just happy that he achieved this because of his nature – he has time for everyone and is a people's person. I want to make sure we give him a great game in his 100th match," Coetzee said.
The Springbok loose forward made his Super Rugby debut 11 years ago against the Waratahs in Cape Town on March 13, 2004.
By Tauriq Ebrahim
@Tagels03
@rugby365com
