Schalk Burger bulldozed the Cape’s best to secure the first spot in SARugbymag’s Stormers Hall of Fame.
Burger completes the first-ballot inductees for each franchise, joining fellow legends Fourie du Preez (Bulls), Os du Randt (Cheetahs), Jaque Fourie (Lions) and Gary Teichmann (Sharks).
The clear favourite from the first vote, Burger took and held a hefty lead, finishing with an emphatic 65% of the vote.
A tussle ensued among the remaining competitors, with former Bok and Stormers teammate, Jean de Villiers (11%) finishing in second, followed by Breyton Paulse (8%), Corne Krige (8%), Percy Montgomery (7%) and Robbie Fleck (1%).
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The 2004 IRB Player of the Year and two-time SARU Player of the Year (2004, 2011), Burger is arguably one of the best flankers to have played the game. Burger made a massive 160 combined appearances for the Stormers and Western Province, dotting down 16 times along the way. He was known for his breathless workrate, fearless breakdown contribution, crunching hits and displayed stellar leadership skills, captaining Western Province to the 2010 Currie Cup final.
Photo: Twitter/@THESTORMERS