Let's reserve judgement on Brussow for now

New Springbok flanker Heinrich Brussow must get full marks for his humility.

When everyone else was raving about his performance against the All Blacks last week, the young Free Stater was telling everyone that Schalk Burger was still the No 1 open-sider in the country.

I am not sure if Brussow was told that by one of the Springbok coaches, but it was an astounding thing to say when the general talk was about a revolution in the Bok approach to loose-forward configurations.

Skipper John Smit described Brussow as the find of the season, which at this level he definitely is.

Brussow wasn't my man of the match in Bloemfontein, I would have given the award to Victor Matfield or to the greatest player on the planet, Fourie du Preez.

Brussow was influential, but I am not sure he played as big a role in winning it as the Bulls pair.

Make no mistake though, Brussow did play well, and a colleague who argued the point with me over a drink in Bloemfontein when I suggested we reserve judgment until a later point in his career misunderstood me.

It was not the same as saying that Brussow is not effective or that he was not good at Vodacom Park.

It's just that when you have been in this business for a while you learn to defer judgement.

Mistakes that have been made by this pen include referring to Chris Rossouw as 'the new Stephen Larkham' when he had played just one game for Western Province. Ouch!

It happens to everyone. The other day I stumbled across the archive for my columns, and I came across one written eight years ago titled 'The new Joost is like Dolly the Sheep'.

It was about a young scrumhalf being written up as the new Joost van der Westhuizen after he scored four tries for the Blue Bulls in a Currie Cup match.

This was a guy many other critics, but not this one, were tipping to become a Bok.

His name was Coenrad Groenewald. Anyone heard of him since then?

Philip Hughes, the young Australian opener, has just been dropped from the Test team for the current Ashes Test at Egbaston.

It was something many foresaw during the recent series against South Africa, even though he did really well and effectively set up the Aussie series win.

There were flaws in his batting that most experts felt would be exposed sooner or later, and now they have been.

That does not mean he did not do well in his first Test series, and you cannot take away the big hundred he scored against the Proteas at Kingsmead.

When Brussow has played 20 Tests we will have a better idea whether the current revolution in the Bok approach to loose-forward play will be sustainable, or whether he will be remembered as another Phil Waugh, who has played some good games for Australia but has never been a permanent fixture in the team.

Schalk, courtesy of his own stupidity, is currently enjoying something that few top rugby players ever get - a proper eight week rest in mid-season.

As Corne Krige used to point out, time spent out of the game doing rehabilitation is not rest, for rehab can be a painful and tortuous business. Schalk might just find his moment of aberration helps him, for he looked a bit jaded during the Super 14.

I fully expect him to come back into the game refreshed, though if I was him (which fortunately I am not, for if I was him I would have concentrated on cricket) I would ask to be reintroduced to rugby through the Currie Cup rather than in the Tri-Nations.

When Schalk has regained full momentum, we might find Brussow's new status is challenged, for there are going to be times when the Boks will find they need someone who can carry as well as fetch and times when the physical element he brings is going to be desperately needed.

But this column is not about Schalk, for if it is not Schalk there are a couple of other highly promising young loose-forwards coming through.

One of those is Dewald Potgieter, who looks like 'the new Schalk'.

There are also some who feel Jean Deysel will be a useful addition to the Bok loose-forward configuration.

Let me spell it out though lest it be misunderstood: Brussow is an excellent player, we should just delay a call on whether he is going to be one of those greats who plays in excess of 50 tests. My mind is just not made up.

• This article was originally published on page 31 of The Cape Argus on August 02, 2009