Schalk Willem Petrus Burger Jr. (born 13 April 1983 in Port Elizabeth) is a South African rugby union player. He plays the position of flanker for the Springboks, as well as representing Stormers in Super Rugby and Western Province in the Currie Cup. He has also been selected four times for the Barbarians. Renowned for his high work ethic and dynamic, robust and physical style of play, Burger is one of world rugby's most decorated players. He is a member of the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning team, has twice been named South African Rugby Player of the Year (in 2004 and 2011), and was named IRB Player of the Year in 2004, among other accolades. He also holds the record for the most appearances (68) and most tries scored by a Springbok flanker (13). However, Burger's physical approach has also resulted in him being shown a yellow card six times in international rugby, second only to Italy's Marco Bortolami (7 times) as of June 2014. Burger has also suffered injuries, especially to his neck and knee, which have sidelined him for considerable periods at a time.
Burger is one of a handful of second-generation Springboks. His father, also called Schalk Burger, was an international lock, being capped for South Africa during the "isolation years" of the 1980s. Burger attended high school at Paarl Gimnasium, along with future teammate and Springbok captain Jean de Villiers, and enjoyed success in many sports. Burger attended Stellenbosch University and stayed in Eendrag Men's Residence before leaving in order to pursue a fulltime rugby career.
