Is Schalk Burger the greatest Springbok of all time?

Cape Town – Following confirmation that Schalk Burger will quit English side Saracens and return to South Africa, praise has flowed for the blonde-haired loose forward.

None more so than from former London Irish, Western Province, Newcastle, Bath, Kobelco Steelers, Sharks, Worcester and now USA coach, Gary Gold.

Gold took to Twitter to write, “Absolutely not an emotive response! But I personally feel #SchalkBurger
is the greatest modern day player of all time!!! He has so many
incredible attributes as a person & as player, that surely he must
be adorned as @Springboks greatest of all time!!! Bar None!!!

Lofty praise indeed for the 35-year-old 86-Test veteran.

Burger was a member of the 2007 Springbok Rugby World Cup-winning team and was twice named South African Rugby Player of the Year (in 2004 and 2011).

Burger also scooped the IRB Player of the Year award in 2004, one of only two South Africans to have done so (along with Bryan Habana in 2007).

Interpreting Gold’s tweet, the 51-year-old – who also enjoyed a stint as Springbok assistant coach between 2008 and 2011 – believes Burger is not only the greatest modern day player (worldwide) of all time, but also the greatest of the 911 Springboks to have ever represented the country since 1891.

When factoring in both on-field and off-field attributes, who is YOUR greatest Springbok player of all time? Is it Burger? Perhaps South Africa’s only double Rugby World Cup winner, Os du Randt? Or what about the most capped Springbok ever, Victor Matfield?

Answers in an email to mysport@sport24.co.za

Absolutely not an emotive response! But I personally feel #SchalkBurger is the greatest modern day player of all time!!! He has so many incredible attributes as a person & as player, that surely he must be adorned as @Springboks greatest of all time!!! Bar None!!! https://t.co/etW7XHNxDd

— Gary Gold (@GaryGoldrugbyiq) December 21, 2018