Western Province hooker, Schalk Brits, hasn't stopped smiling since his arrival in New Zealand.
Brits comes in as cover for captain John Smit who will miss the rest of the away leg of the Tri-Nations with a groin injury. A spear-tackle from All Black lock Brad Thorn is believed to be the cause of the problem.
Bok coach Peter de Villiers opted to go on tour with only two hookers but in hindsight that may not have been such a good idea. But Brits is there now which is all that matters. The hooker has been waiting a while to get into the Springbok setup. There were calls for him to be selected for the Bo! ks for the past two years already following consistently good performances, but then-coach Jake White refused to select the mobile hooker. That led to an outburst by Brits in the media against White.
But Brits says that's behind him now and says his main goal now is to become a regular fixture in the Springbok mix. The hooker has been a real livewire in the practice sessions this week and will add that extra bit of "Oomph" to the Bok side as they still look for that elusive first win in New Zealand since 1998.
