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Brussow drafted in by Springboks
Scrum.com
June 15, 2009
Cheetahs flanker Heinrich Brussow in action against the Bulls, Bulls v Cheetahs, Super 14, Loftus Versfeld, May 9, 2009
Cheetahs flanker Heinrich Brussow impressed in his side's narrow defeat to the Lions in Bloemfontein © Getty Images
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Players/Officials: Heinrich Brussow | Bernard Lapasset
Tournaments/Tours: British and Irish Lions tour

  • Cheetahs flanker Heinrich Brussow joined the Springboks squad ahead of Saturday's opening Test against the British & Irish Lions at Kings Park in Durban.

    Brussow's call-up came amidst doubts over the participation of Bok stalwart Schalk Burger, who is troubled by a calf injury. The team to face the Lions will be announced on Tuesday.

    Brussow, who earned his first cap against England last November and was excluded from the 28-man squad that was announced last month, said he was alone at home on Sunday when he got the call to inform him to pack his bags.

    "I was at home studying when the call came. I immediately called my parents and my girlfriend to tell them and they were over the moon," he said. "I was disappointed to miss out on selection into the original squad, which has a lot of great players, but I am very happy about being called in.

    "It will be great to be part of squad and the Lions series and I am going to grab my chances with both hands. Playing the Lions would be a great challenge because they are a very good side. The fact that I played against them for the Cheetahs will have some benefit for me, but if I am selected, the Test series will be a totally different challenge that will have to be approached with a different mindset," Brussow said.

  • Bernard Lapasset, chairman of the International Rugby Board, led the team presenting Rugby Sevens' case for inclusion in the Olympic Games to the IOC's Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland on Monday.

    Lapasset was joined by Mike Miller, Secretary General of the IRB, Agustín Pichot, former captain of the Argentina Sevens Rugby Team, Cheryl Soon, captain of the Australia Sevens team that won Women's Rugby World Cup Sevens earlier this year, Humphrey Kayange, captain of the Kenya Sevens team and Anastassiya Khamova, one of Kazakhstan's top female players, a referee at Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 and a leading figure in the Women's Game.

    "Our team is very excited and honoured to be presenting to the IOC Executive Board. We are looking forward to sharing our Olympic vision and highlighting Rugby Sevens' case for Olympic Games inclusion, which we firmly believe would be good for the Olympic Games and good for Rugby," Lapasset said ahead of the presentation.

    Mike Miller added, "We believe that Rugby Sevens has much to offer the Olympic Movement. We would bring a new young and vibrant audience to the Games. We would help every National Olympic Committee to develop their Sevens team and work with members of the Olympic Family to share knowledge - and in so doing, benefit from one another's experience. Rugby is reaching out. We want to spread our spirit and sport to new countries and see more players - and more women players - in every single country."

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