'Namibia legend' Jacques Burger focused on first victory



Jacques Burger's farm is just as rough and tumble as he is. The 14,000 acres Burger owns in remote Stampriet is covered by red dunes and crossed by the odd lion and sheep-eating crocodile.

Burger bought the land from his father-in-law, who still lives nearby, and Namibia's best rugby player and captain said the property was a dream come true.

"I've wanted to be a farmer since I was five years old," he said.

The land he eventually wants to fill with sheep and cattle is Burger's plan for the end of his rugby-playing days.

He is in no rush to retire, not when he is in the form of his life, and trying to help Namibia end their World Cup winless streak when they take on South Africa, the world champions, today in Auckland. "To win would be absolutely amazing," he said.

Fearless almost to a fault, he led all tacklers in the World Cup opening loss to Fiji, with a dozen, and rare is the game he does not hit double figures in the tackle count.

Asked how he rated Burger against all other current flankers, Johan Diergaardt, the Namibia coach, said:"He's a legend in Namibia. We appreciate him."

Burger, 28, who plies his trade in England with Saracens, used to play for South Africa's Griquas but his performances in the 2007 World Cup earned him a contract with Pretoria's Blue Bulls, which means today's match with South Africa will have added piquancy.

"When I go out on to the pitch, a switch clicks," he said. "I love the physical side of the game. It is part of my anatomy, part of the way I was brought up."

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

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Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Uefa Nations League

League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands

League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey

League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania

League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar

Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

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