Schalk Brits during the South African national rugby team training session at Ichinomiya Field on September 23, 2019 in Ichinomiya, Japan. (Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images)
Some South African rugby fans might be surprised by Schalk Brits’ selection at eighthman for the Springboks, but not Namibia’s coach, Phil Davies.
It most certainly didn’t affect his team selection for Saturday’s World Cup meeting in Toyota.
“I think Schalk Brits is so skillful that he could play anywhere,” Davies said on Thursday with a laugh.
“Maybe he could play flyhalf. He’s just a talented rugby player. It didn’t affect our selection to be fair.”
The evergreen Brits, who turned 38 in May, is considered such an explosive athlete that loose forward is hardly an unusual fit for the veteran.
His former Stormers teammate Francois Louw is immensely excited to be part of the “experiment” given his close involvement in it as the blinsider in the loose trio.
“Schalk and I have come a long way,” he said.
“I only played with him once in a loose trio. It was way back in 2011, when he came from Saracens as a medical joker for the Stormers. Schalk’s very excited. I’m keen to see him play from the back of the scrum. He’s grown a lot, he’s a fantastic player.”
More importantly, Brits is a far more nippier option than, for example, the powerful Duane Vermeulen and his partnership with Kwagga Smith in particular suggest the Boks might be inclined to play a tad more quicker against the Namibians.
Davies warned that it’s something they’ll relish.
“Namibian rugby is all about flair for me. They seem to have chosen a team that wants to play running rugby, which we also enjoy.”
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