Saracens hope Jacques Burger will be on menu for cup tie

Saracens are the ultimate planners of matchday tactics, but their preparations for the European Champions Cup semi-final against Clermont Auvergne were scrambled yesterday when Jacques Burger, their Namibia open-side flanker, was cited for allegedly striking Maxime Machenaud, the Racing Métro scrum half, during last weekend’s quarter-final.

Burger’s hearing will be held today.

If found guilty, the minimum sanction is a two-week suspension that would count him out of the Aviva Premiership game at home to Leicester Tigers on Saturday and, more importantly, against Clermont on the next weekend…