Burger, Jacques

A burger was born and raised in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, and before being called to the national team in 2004, he worked as a seller of small goods ^[1] . A few years later, already being a rising rugby star, he bought 14 thousand acres of land in Stamprit , near the Kalahari Desert , where he began farming. ^[2] In rugby, he began playing for the amateur club Windhoek High. ^[3]

Burger began his professional career in 2005 in the South African provincial team Grikuas, which played in the Curry and Vodakom Cups. In 2006, Jacques came to the attention of French clubs and moved to Aurillac , which a season earlier had gained the right to play in Pro D2 ^[4] . Nevertheless, a few months later, right after his debut at the World Championships , he signed a contract with the Blue Bulls, which he joined at the end of the 2007/08 season ^[3] . The burger spent one and a half seasons in South Africa, during which he managed to help the team win the Curry Cup, and also debuted in Super 14 for the Bulls head club, which won the tournament that season. In total for the Bulls, the Burger played two matches - won with the Stormers and lost with the Highlanders . At the very end of 2009, Jacques joined the Saracens ^[5] .

In the first year in England, the Burger immediately became an important player in the roster and was one of those who provided the team with the first ever championship in the 2010/11 season. In the decisive match, he spent all 80 minutes on the field, and then was recognized as the player of the year with Sarris ^{[1] [6]} . In a match against Northampton Saints in February 2011, a rugby player suffered a severe leg injury. The athlete had problems with his right knee even earlier, but it was in that game that the joint could not stand it. At the 2011 World Cup, he played through pain, which ultimately worsened the situation. The burger had to give up physical activity on his leg for a month and a half, but nevertheless the pain remained. Jacques underwent two operations and fully recovered only after two years, although the doctors were not sure that he would be able to return to his previous level ^{[7] [8]} . Despite the almost complete absence of gaming practice in 2012, in February 2013 he signed a new contract with the club ^[9] .

Returning to the squad for the 2013/14 season, the Burger managed to show that he had not only not lost his form, but had also become even better. One of the strongest rugby player appearances took place in November 2013 in a match against Exeter Chiefs . Then the athlete made 36 captures (according to other sources 34 or 37) per match, breaking the tournament record set by the Leicester Tigers player Lewis Moody (27 captures) ^[10] . A few months later, in the Heineken Cup semi- final against Clermont , he practically repeated his achievement by making 30 captures ^[11] . In addition, that season he brought both his attempts for the “Saracens” - in the Euro Cup match against “ Cebre ” and in the game of the 17th round of the Premier League against “ Harlequins ”.

In the 2014/15 season, Jacques was no less useful for the team, having spent 25 matches in all tournaments. Before the 2015 Rugby World Cup, Burger announced the end of his international career after the tournament and a possible change of club at the end of the 2015/16 season ^[12] . At the end of April 2016, he completed his rugby career, not playing in the final matches of the Premier League and the European Cup , in which the “Saracens” won ^[13] .

The burger made his debut for the Namibian national team in 2004, won with a score of 52:10 match with the national team of Zimbabwe ^[14] . The first attempt was made by the Moroccan national team in October 2006, and in May 2007 made a double in the match with Zambia . In 2007, he got to his first world championship . At the tournament, the player entered the field in the starting lineup in all matches (against Ireland , France , Argentina and Georgia , all lost), then he began to play in the position of the flanker, and not the eighth number.

In 2009, he won his first trophy as part of Velvichi - the Africa Cup . The final match against the Tunisian national team was the final selection for the next championship, already in it the Burger showed his outstanding defense capabilities ^[15] . Jacques was appointed captain of the national team at the 2011 World Cup and approached him in the status of one of the most visible strikers of the planet. Despite the fact that the team, like last time, failed to win, the skills of the rugby player were appreciated by the world community. In four matches, the Burger made 64 captures and showed an outstanding defensive game, for which he was awarded the official top five tournament players ^[16] . After the championship, he was recognized as the athlete of the year in Namibia ^[17] .

After aggravating a knee injury, the rugby player left the national team for a long time and returned only in 2014. In the first match, after a long break, he brought the Canadians an attempt, and in the summer of 2015 he took part in the next victory for the Welwiches in the African Cup. At the World Cup, he was again captain of the national team. In the second match of the tournament against the Tonga national team, he made the second double of his career. In the next game, where the Namibians met with Georgia, he already got a concussion at the 9th minute of the match and left the field. According to the rules of World Rugby, a player who has suffered a concussion cannot enter the field in less than seven days, so for Burger this match was the last in the national team ^[18] .

Achievements

Jacques Burger has repeatedly been recognized by experts as one of the “toughest rugby players” in the world. His bold and powerful captures provided the athlete with a reputation as one of the best defensive players ^{[2] [13] [19]} . However, despite his power play, Jacques almost always fought within the rules - for his career he received only one red card ^{[2] [20]} . The most revealing were his performances in the 2013/14 season, when he broke the Premier League record for the number of captures in one match (36), and after a few months practically managed to repeat it, but already in the Heineken Cup semi-final (30) ^{[10] [ 11]} .

After completing his rugby career, the Burger returned to Namibia , where, together with his wife and two children, he lives on his plot and is engaged in farming. He supports the Giants Club initiative to conserve African elephants ^[21] .

• Profile (inaccessible link) on the Namibian Rugby Union website.
• Profile on ESPN.

Template: Namibia at the Rugby World Cup 2007 Template: Namibia at the Rugby World Cup 2011