Pocket-size Brussow fits the bill

IN the professional environment of a rugby-mad country where bulk is almost a condition of employment, Heinrich Brussow doesn’t quite fit the bill.

But the 23-year-old has certainly bucked the trend, and in South African rugby circles he is now spoken of with the same tone of endearment normally reserved for infinitely heavier and taller predecessors.

Since his sudden elevation for the three Test series against the British and Irish Lions in June of this year, Brussow has given the World Cup holders something other back row contenders for the Springboks haven’t always provided – almost total dominance in the crucial area of rucking.