The Stormers beat the Cheetahs 21-8 in a bruising derby in the Super 14 on the weekend, returning them to second place on the log. Stormers captain Schalk Burger had a superb game, but blemished the performance by losing his cool .
Burger played one of his best matches of the season, popping up in support all over the show and putting his body on the line in typical fashion. Totally pumped up throughout, hes never at less than 100% and sometimes loses the plot a little.
This was the case as the Stormers started a great counterattack from their own tryline, only to have it come to an end with a knock-on. As Meyer Bosman put the hit in on Burger as the whistle went, the big flanker took exception and lashed out with a slap.
He apologised immediately to both Bosman and referee Chris Pollock, and was let off without further punishment. You can hear him saying "Sorry about that, I was just irritated" to the ref.
Burger said after the match "It was a typical derby, you know. The Cheetahs are a very proud unit so it was a tough match." There has since been no talk of a citing.
Just a few weeks ago, Burger lashed out at referee Mark Lawrence while scuffling with Jimmy Cowan of the Highlanders. And in fact last season, Burger gave Griquas player Bees Roux a similar type of flatty . Despite all his worth as a player, he still manages to do silly things at times.
The Stormers are now only one point behind the Bulls on the log after this physical battle. They have a bye ahead of their four match tour to Australasia.
"It always helps having a week off, the guys can relax and recuperate a bit. Hopefully we can nurse the injuries and hopefully we can take those players on tour," said Burger.
Do you think that a stand should have been taken against Burger by sending him off, or did the referee handle things well considering the circumstances? Well have the best tries from this match and the weekend in our weekly Pick of the Week compilation soon.
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