Heinrich Wilhelm Brüssow (born 21 July 1986 in Bloemfontein, South Africa) is a South Africanrugby union footballer. He plays for the Free State Cheetahs provincial team, Cheetahs in the international Super Rugby competition and the Springboks. His usual position is open-side flanker.He attended Grey College in Bloemfontein where he played in the First XV and was later selected for the Under-18 Free State Craven Week side. Brüssow was part of the Free State Cheetahs squad who shared the Currie Cup glory in 2006 with the Blue Bulls, before playing in the 2007 Currie Cup final against the Golden Lions, scoring a crucial try and helping the team to a 20-18 win. In 2008 he was voted best open-side flanker in the Super 14 and Currie Cup. This earned him a call-up to the Springboks squad for the November 2008 tour to the British Isles. He only played the final 4 minutes in the end-of-tour test against England.
In 2009, Brüssow was again a flanker in the Super 14 competition. However, selectors excluded him from the Springboks squad. Soon afterwards he played for the Free State Cheetahs against the British and Irish Lions team; Brüssow was finally called up for Schalk Burger, who failed to recover from an injury for the first test against the Lions.[2][3] He received the Man-of-the-Match award in the Springboks' win against the All Blacks on the 25 July 2009.[4] Brüssow once again featured in a Currie Cup final in 2009, but the Free State Cheetahs lost to a hungry Blue Bulls team.
Early March 2010 Brüssow's career took a blow when he injured his cruciate knee-ligament[5] in a Super 14 game against the Hurricanes, which kept him from international rugby till August 2011.
He returned to international competition on the 13th of August 2011 against Australia where he played for a short stint from the bench where he showed he still has all the ability that made him so popular in 2009.[6] On the 20th of August 2011 Heinrich Brüssow gave a Man-of-the-Match display of his skills as the Springboks managed to defeat arch-nemesis New Zealand All Blacks in Port Elizabeth.| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Heinrich Wilhelm Brüssow | ||
| Date of birth | 21 July 1986 (age 25) |
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| Place of birth | Bloemfontein, South Africa[1] | ||
| Height | 1.81m[1] | ||
| Weight | 102 kg[1] | ||
| School | Grey College, Bloemfontein[1] | ||
| University | University of the Free State[1] | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Flanker | ||
| Provincial/State sides | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2006- | Free State | ||
| Super Rugby | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2007- | Cheetahs | ||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 2009- | South Africa | 15 | (5 |
