Jacques Burger will be available to play for Saracens in their European Champions Cup semi-final against Clermont Auvergne in Saint-Étienne on Saturday week after escaping with a one-match ban for striking the Racing Métro scrum-half Maxime Machenaud during the quarter-final.
The flanker pleaded guilty to hitting Machenaud in the 40th minute of Sunday’s match in Paris, which Saracens won 12-11, after being cited for the offence. His two-week ban was halved because he did not contest the charge, meaning he will miss Saturday’s Premiership meeting with Leicester at Allianz Park but not the showdown with Clermont.
The independent judicial officer who heard the case, Simon Thomas, listened to evidence from the Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, before ruling that while Burger’s act had been reckless and worthy of a red card, it was at the low end of the scale in terms of intent.
The entry point was two weeks and because of Burger’s guilty plea, remorse and clean disciplinary record, it was cut to one. Saracens, and the tournament organisers, have the right to appeal but the club will not be taking that route because of the Namibian’s admission and his availability to face Clermont.
Saracens are seeking to reach the final for the second successive year having lost to Toulon, who face Leinster in the other semi-final, in Cardiff last May. They are also in a battle for a place in the top four of the Premiership: they go into the match against Leicester in second place but defeat could see them drop to fifth if other results go against them.
Toulon, meanwhile, are believed to be close to signing the Australia fly-half Quade Cooper, who would join the club in November, after the World Cup. He would link up with compatriots Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell in the south of France and join a cosmopolitan squad who will be boosted next season by the arrivals of the New Zealand centre Ma’a Nonu, the South Africa No8 Duane Vermeulen and the Northampton second row Samu Manoa.
Cooper’s career since the last World Cup has been blighted by injury but Toulon have not adequately filled the fly-half position since the retirement of Jonny Wilkinson. Frédéric Michalak is likely to move on next season, and with Leigh Halfpenny the club’s established goal-kicker, Cooper would be able to concentrate on playmaking.
