Springbok legend-in-the-making Schalk Burger has become the first modern South African rugby player to launch his own signature boot thanks to a sponsorship deal with global sports brand PUMA.
Burger, who is just 22, has been named the International Rugby Board's 2004 International Player of the Year and is considered to be a major factor in the resurgence of Springbok rugby under coach Jake White.
Burger, who signed a three-year deal with PUMA in February 2005, was involved in the design of the boots.
Burger says he clearly remembers wearing Danie Gerber signature rugby shorts for his school matches: "It is amazing that I now have a range of PUMA boots bearing my name and signature."
Marketing manager Brett Bellinger says Burger represents everything that the PUMA brand is about: "From his sport performances to his attitude to life and his street style, Schalk is dynamic, edgy, unpredictable and unstoppable - all elements of the PUMA brand as it is today."
