If a rugby player’s resolve can be measured in spilled blood and broken bones, Brad Barritt is an A-lister.
If longevity and loyalty are thrown into the mix, Barritt is verging on legendary status.
The one-time Durban boy, now a veteran at 33, is one of the best players produced at the Sharks, although it is as a stalwart at Saracens in London where his legend took hold. Last weekend, the former Kearsney College student played his 250th English Premiership match, a staggering milestone that reflects his consistency, fitness, class and hardness.
His nose has been bent out of shape countless times, he’s had metal plates inserted in his face and he’s had more stitches than a patchwork quilt. His is a face that only a mother (or an adoring wife) could love.
Barritt, an arch defender, is neither flashy nor flamboyant. The midfielder is the hard man of his club, an organiser and captain whose devotion to the team ethic has made him one of the most admired individuals in the English game.
He’s the glue that keeps his side together, an important dynamic given that Saracens are amidst the most damaging crisis in their history, having been slapped with a 35-point log deduction and a R104-million fine for breaching the Premiership salary cap. It’s his job to cajole and assure his teammates.
Apart from his physical prowess, what most stands out is his loyalty. Notwithstanding Saracens’ stellar reputation for looking after their players, it’s rare in the modern age that a player sticks around at a single team for so long. Barritt cut his teeth at the Sharks, leaving after 65 appearances, in 2008, and has only ever been at Saracens since.
By all accounts, he’s a player who never lets ego get in the way, quiet and unflustered. His head-down, hard-running style is at odds with the game’s more elegant midfielders, but he’s proved his worth plenty.
Had he stuck around, he would likely have played for South Africa, having represented the Emerging Boks a dozen years ago. Instead, his residency in the UK led to Test action in the white shirt and he played 26 times for England, highlighted by tries against both South Africa and New Zealand. He even earned a late call-up to the British and Irish Lions in 2013.
Saracens’ holistic approach demanded that Barritt pay attention to a life after rugby and consequently he developed Tiki Tonga, a coffee brand with a growing presence in England and South Africa. The business is also the official supplier to Tottenham Hotspur, a brand collaboration that reflects Barritt’s Business Management qualification.
The transplanted South African has come a long way since the days he used to turn out for Glenwood Old Boys as a toddler. He may be long in the tooth, but he can still produce big performances. Several months ago he was named Man of the Match against Leinster and he led Saracens to Heineken Champions Cup glory, which sits nicely alongside his pair of Premiership winners’ medals.
‘I came here as a 20-year-old kid from South Africa,’ he reflected last week. ‘I’ve been away from my immediate family for the whole period and this club has turned me from a boy into a man both on and off the pitch.’
Remarkable story, remarkable player. – © Sunday Tribune