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Schalk Burger names his surprise 'worst stadium'

Springbok legend Schalk Burger is at his outspoken best on the latest episode of RPTV's Boks Office.

As an 86-cap Springbok who has played in four Rugby World Cups and earned a living playing for clubs in his native South Africa, England and Japan, former flanker Schalk Burger has seen his fair share of stadiums.

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Like any player, Burger has his favourite and not-so-favourite venues but he goes against the grain when picking the worst, by choosing somewhere that he used to call home.

In reviewing the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup on the Christmas edition of Boks Office, Burger made it clear that the StoneX Stadium, where he played for Saracens, is not a place that holds especially fond memories.

The 41-year-old said: “It’s possibly one of the worst stadiums to come and play.

“Teams hate going there. It’s hard on that artificial (surface), I get a mild panic attack thinking about playing on that thing which I did for three years. It is brutal.”

Burger’s former team did a number on the Bulls, winning 27-5, in a masterful display of playing to the conditions.

Kicks

22
Total Kicks
13
1:4
Kick To Pass Ratio
1:10.2

The Bulls chose to play with a howling gale behind them in the first half and it seemed like a sound decision when Willie le Roux put Sebastian de Klerk away in the corner for the opening score after 10 minutes.

Saracens, though, put on a demonstration of controlled rugby after that to come back and lead 8-5 at the break, before scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half in a 27-5, bonus-point victory.

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Burger was critical of the Bulls’ decision to play with the wind in the first half but also applauded Saracens for how they dealt with the conditions.

“If you’re Saracens you’ve trained in that on Friday, you only train there once a week. You know that wind, you know when to kick the contestables. That field bounces funny so if you think you can just hammer it for distance down the middle, the ball can roll for 40 metres.

“But on top of that, they (Saracens) were just the better-coached side. I think certain parts of the Saracens performance were what Saracens always bring with how they ‘out-guts’ you, like at the breakdown, the lineout; they are bloody physical; their defensive sets were solid – it took a great pass from Willie Le Roux to unlock it in the first 10 minutes.

“But once they (Saracens) got hold of the game-management side of the game, by playing and then kicking, they were impressive into the wind and how much they held onto the ball.

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“The Bulls just didn’t play the conditions correctly. Some coaches want to play downwind first half, I reckon you do the hard graft first.

“That wind was so strong it almost took the contestable (kick) out (of it). But I think against the wind the contestable is a good one because it comes towards you, it comes back, so it is hard to get under it. And then you’ve got to change the plan up a bit playing down (wind), you’ve almost got to try and kick early but pin it into a corner.

“If it was at Loftus, I think the Bulls would have won that one. But not at the StoneX.”

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1 Comment
G
GH 112 days ago

Schalk Burger saying: "It is brutal.” 🤣

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Patrickhill300 1 hour ago
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JW 2 hours ago
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Well obviously NZR is not beholden to revenue then Marshall.


And it simply never was a revenue issue. The AFL and NRL milk the ANZACs deaths and sacrifice for their own personal gain, they did not make their decisions based on “the rugby”, it’s all about taking over the day for the financial benefit. Why would NZR want to be a apart of that? We know RA would, but more than ever they are driven by the bottom line, and not the values that will be the factor in NZRs decision.


So you need to get outside you bubble Tim Horan and think about reality. First, did Australians need something to do on ANZAC day (assuming it was for the weekend celebration day proposal) or have they been brainwashed into disconnecting with their mates and connecting with the TV. What purpose does it provide other than financially essentially? Then ask yourself that same question for the communities out side of that, through Aus and then into NZ and around the pacific, world even.


We don’t need your shortshighted aussie brain calling out NZR thanks.


NZR also doesn’t want to destroy a good thing that is SRs revival amongst wider entertainment enjoyer base, and having a SR break/interruption was a big driver towards fans turning off previously. You’d have to wait at least a few years before they feel comfortable in disrupting that again. Actually having it at the beggining of 2027, World Cup year in Australia, might actually be the most sensible thing (though I actually really like Utiku’s idea). It would both drum up support and get the spotlight on rugby early in the season, helping anticipation/buildup for the big event, and more importantly, give the sides an extra game that year to get things right for a tilt at thge trophy.

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