Retired hooker was a spectator for the first Test against England and had to persuade friends his selection was not a joke

Schalk Brits does not look 37 years old but he is giving hope to middle‑aged cocktail‑drinking holidaymakers everywhere. As recently as last Saturday, fresh from a family vacation – “I was sipping tequilas in Ibiza” – he was just another fan at Ellis Park enjoying a social day out having retired from rugby last month. His subsequent recall to the Springboks squad for the second Test is one of the more glorious comeback yarns.

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If nothing else, Brits is proof that good things often happen to positive people. The irrepressible hooker has long believed that life is very much for living and his recent training regime – “Not many beers but a lot of cocktails I can assure you” – is not about to hold back one of the game’s most popular characters. If he does play a part for South Africa this month, both sets of players will applaud him from the field afterwards.

His team-mates at Saracens cannot quite believe what has unfolded since they met him for coffee in Johannesburg on Sunday morning. “My friends all thought I was playing a practical joke on them so, when it was announced, I got a lot of messages and a lot of teasing went on,” he said.

“Myself and Jamie George have been texting each other saying how weird it would be if we play against each other. He knows all my strengths and weaknesses and vice-versa. The probability is not very likely this week but maybe by next weekend we’ll see. I still need to understand these structures they play to here. They’re a bit different to Saracens.”

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Some domestic juggling has also been required back in London, with his wife, Colinda, due to fly to Bermuda for a conference. “It’s all been quite interesting. I begged our nanny to look after our kids. There’s been a lot of shuffling of the deck of cards for the last couple of days and, thankfully, it’s all worked out. A lot of people had to make a lot of sacrifices for this to happen, so I’m really grateful to them all.”

What happens after the series, however, remains uncertain. Since hastily getting changed into Springbok training kit at the airport and flying to Bloemfontein, Brits has had a long chat with the head coach, Rassie Erasmus, without reaching any firm conclusion. Capped 10 times by South Africa before moving to England, he has been accepted by Cambridge University to study for an executive MBA, starting in September, has also applied to Oxford University and is due to join an investment firm in the City.

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“There are a lot of opportunities in the real world away from rugby. People who have been to either Oxford or Cambridge have told me it’s had such a big impact on them. The one thing I do know is that I don’t have a rugby club in the UK to play for. It makes it quite tricky from that point of view.”

It has certainly added an unexpected dynamic to the series, with Brits’s mobility and skills ideally suited to the fast, dry conditions expected on Saturday. England’s scrum coach, Neal Hatley, said: “He brings a lot of life to a team.”

Witnessing South Africa’s 42-39 first Test victory on Saturday – “That was the first time I’d watched the Springboks as a spectator ... I had a couple of beers, some biltong and a braai” – has also roused Brits’s patriotic instincts. “It’s quite difficult to explain to the outside world what it all means to South Africans; to have a black captain, to win the game.

“Playing for your country is one of the highest honours that can be bestowed on you but there’s a time to finish as well. For the next two weeks I’ll just focus on the rugby and see where that leads.”