Barritt: Schalk can lead us to treble

Saracens skipper Brad Barritt reckons the arrival of South African back-rower Schalk Burger will take his side to the next level as the Men in Black target a Premiership ‘threepeat’ and the defence of the Champions Cup.
Lawrence Dallaglio’s all-conquering Wasps were the last to claim a Premiership title hat-trick between 2003 and 2005, but Sarries want their own place in history and Barritt is backing Springbok legend Burger to make an impact.
Barritt told The Rugby Paper: “Schalk Burger is going to be a brilliant addition. He’s not only a world-class-player but, more importantly, he’s a fantastic guy and he’s going to bring a lot to this squad on and off the field.
“I know Schalk pretty well through my time in South Africa because we played against each other countless times, and in terms of being a back-rower he’s as close to being the ultimate all-rounder as anyone in world rugby.
“He backs up immense physicality with fantastic skills and understanding of the game. He has the competitive streak you need and it will be hugely exciting to have him, not just for the players but for our fans as well.
“He’ll be a very welcome addition and he’s so versatile in being able to play across the back-row that he can only make this Saracens team stronger than ever.”
Burger, 33, battled back from life-threatening bacterial meningitis in 2013 to star for South Africa at last year’s World Cup – further proof, if any were needed, of the former Stormers warrior’s spirit according to Barritt, who added: “We’ve lost Jacques Burger now, but I’m sure Schalk will make just as big an impression as he did. To have gone through what he did and come out the other end is testament to his character.
“To be as ill as Schalk was and to fight back and go all the way back to playing in last year’s World Cup and having an unbelievable year with the Stormers, and to be playing as youthfully and well as he did, was incredible.”
Saracens will head into next season with the added pressure of being Premiership and Champions Cup ‘double’ winners.
However, Barritt, left, has issued an ominous warning to the rest of the top-flight by declaring his team will get even better.
He said: “We know that such is the competitiveness of the Premiership and European rugby that things don’t just happen, but we also know that positivity, burning desire, ambition and putting in hard work earns titles.
“We have all of that in abundance throughout our existing squad and new arrivals like Schalk, Sean Maitland, Alex Lozowski, Vincent Koch and Savenaca Rawaca will bring a new excitement to the training ground.
“It’s not about one-off fixtures, it’s about fronting up week-in, week-out and once the whole squad is back together, we’ll have a few heart-to-hearts and make sure that this legacy we want to create is the best it can be.”
Barritt added: “Can we go three Premiership titles in a row? The core of this Saracens squad has now won three Premiership titles in five years and a European title and we’ve now got to drill down into what makes us special and try to improve on it.
“This team will be as hungry as ever and such is the nature and character within this team, once everyone is assimilated and we’re back for the opener against Worcester, the guys will be ready to achieve success again.”
NEALE HARVEY