Burger''s Saracens break record at Wembley

Namibia’s rugby captain Jacques Burger once again demonstrated his world-class ability when he was involved in match that made global history over the weekend. Burger played for English side Saracens as they set a new record at Wembley when 84 068 people turned out for a club rugby match. The crowd was suitably entertained in a 42-14 thrashing of London rivals Harlequins, as Alastair Hargreaves captained a side that included Namibia’s Burger and South Africa’s Neil de Kock in the five-try win. The match marked the return to action of Europe’s domestic leagues following the conclusion of the Six Nations. That also meant that plenty of top South African, and in the case of Burger Namibian, stars based on the continent were back in action. Burger, who captained Namibian at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, expressed his excitement at being part of the record-breaking feat via Twitter. “Wembley was class this weekend; thx [thanks] to everybody who supported this World Record effort. Next big challenge Racing in Paris,” he tweeted regarding his team’s next match in Heineken Cup against French club, Racing. That match is a quarter-final clash in what is European rugby’s equivalent of the European Champions League in football. In domestic action in England, Northampton remain the side to beat but Saracens aren’t far behind, with last weekend’s win cementing their position in second place which would give them a home semi-final at the end of the regular season. South Africans South Africa’s Ashley Johnson was involved for Wasps on Friday when they suffered a 52-30 defeat to Northampton Saints, having lost No 8 Nathan Hughes to a red card for a knee to the head of Wales star George North. Turning attention to the Pro12, another South African, Brok Harris, played his part in the Dragons’ win over Treviso while CJ Stander and BJ Botha were both involved for Munster in their six-try win over Connacht to keep the Irish giants in contention at the top of the table. First place, however, is held by Glasgow Warriors, who fought back for a thrilling 34-34 draw against Leinster on Friday in the game of the weekend. Zane Kirchner was at full-back for Leinster up against Glasgow No 8 Josh Strauss, as the two playoff contenders couldn’t be separated. Andries Strauss and Edinburgh won on the road despite the former Sharks and Kings back being the victim of a head butt by Scarlets’ scrumhalf Gareth Davies, who was red carded for his actions. Anton Bresler and WP Nel also featured in the Edinburgh starting XV coached by Alan Solomons. Finally, Louis Ludik scored two tries for Ulster in their big victory over Cardiff Blues with Ruan Pienaar adding four penalties and a conversion off the tee to finish with 14 points, as they keep the pressure on Glasgow in second place. French party Finishing up our roundup in France, there was a much-needed win for Castres as they battle to survive and remain in France’s top flight. Rory Kockott’s side went into the clash six points from safety but did enough to secure a narrow win over Grenoble away from home, with the former Sharks and Lions player having a busy match as he scored a conversion, penalty and a drop goal while also spending ten minutes in the sin-bin. His points were ultimately the difference as Gio Aplon and Charl McLeod lost out playing for the hosts. Jono Ross was at No 8 for Stade Français in their impressive 40-26 victory over Clermont while Robert Ebersohn was among the try scorers for Jake White’s Montpellier as they hammered Lyon. Ricky Januarie, a second-half substitute, was a shown a straight red card for stamping as his side were well beaten. -Additional reporting by Own Reporter. PRETORIA-SUPERSPORT