Springbok enforcer Bakkies Botha feels what happens on the field has nothing to do with his personal life and that people often get carried away by calling him “violent”.
Bakkies, the 2.02m tall and 118kg giant, has a bit of a reputation of being a hard man. Who will forget his famous ruck clearing in the 2007 World Cup final?
Or the ruck he cleared that cost Welsh prop Duncan Jones a dislocated shoulder?
But Bakkies believes he is “quite a relaxed guy”.
“A lot of people think I bite my wife and kick the kids,” Botha joked Thursday. “But I’m really a very different person off the pitch to the player I am on it.
“Someone must really rock the boat to get me going.”
Botha also dispelled talk about the levels of “violence” in games.
“For me, violence means guns and knives. A game for me means physicality, and physicality gives me goosebumps, the idea of going around shifting rucks around the field,” he said.
He also had some word of praise for his lock partner Victor Matfield.
“Victor brings a calmness to the game and hopefully we’ll keep going until the 2011 World Cup,” Botha said.
“It’s like a relationship we have and we must work on it every day.
“Victor calls the line-outs but I can read his body language and I know without him saying what he’ll call.
“We still push each other and know there’s room for improvement and especially with things to achieve.”
Matfield, who will play his 90th test for the Boks tonight, also feels they make a good combination.
“Maybe I’m the brain and Bakkies is the brawn.
“I enjoy playing with Bakkies. He does all the hard work and allows me to play!
“Bakkies brings physicality and a hard edge that the Boks need. There’s not a player in the world who can hit a ruck like him.
“I really hope we can go on for two more years and get better and with every year work harder to improve,” said Matfield, man-of-the-match in the final when South Africa won the 2007 World Cup in France.
“But first things first – we haven’t beaten France on French soil since 1997 and it would be a great achievement if we could do that.”
Bakkies is looking forward to meeting French hard man Sebastian Chabal.
“I think I know who he is,” he said. “The man with the nice, straight hair… Maybe I’ll meet him in a ruck or two.”
Best lock combo in the world!
Kan nie wag dat Chabal volspoed op Bakkies, Schalk of Bismarck afhardloop nie
Score vir die naweek: 36-22 vir die Bokke
“I think I know who he is,” he said. “The man with the nice, straight hair… Maybe I’ll meet him in a ruck or two.”
Man i love Bakkies
Him and PdV together at a braai will be my dream guests
Dis dan seker in orde as ek die Bokke bedank vir my verjaardag geskenk van later vanaand?
Veels geluk liewe maatjie omlat jy verjaar mag die Here jou seen en nog baie jare dra, of verdra. 😆
Hiep hiep hoera.
geluk Isi
Fanks, fank you weiry match!
This man should not be allowed to talk to the press. Last he said that he feels no pain, and then was promptly injured.
7
I hate it too when players involved in the match gives interviews. Mostly it gives away secrets and gives motivation to the opponents. I am of the old school i like the Buurman van Zyl way , do your talking on the field.
Koos arrives in France to watch rugby. He becomes ill and a Pommie doctor tells him they have to remve his testicles. On which he replies: ”Not a fok!” An Afrikaans doctor then came along and said: “Koos, hulle moet jou knaters uithaal”.
Koos: “Oraait, ek dog hulle soek my test tickets
Haaaaaaaaaaaappppy BDAY ISI!!!!!!
morning guys
see there’s a few extracts from jsmit’s new book!!
Morning everyone.
Bakkies and Victor the best locks in the world.
Really pleased they are South African and we have them playing for our beloved BOKKE. 😀
I too hope that both of them will be there for the WC 2011. Need to look after these players well until then. Also our Captain. All three of them are needed for WC 2011.
Congrats to Matfield on his 90th Bok cap tonight.
Go get em French Bokke.
Paar goed uit Smit se boek: (nog altyd gesê Oily Ollie is ‘n drol!!!)
He relates how Luke Watson had a “cancerous” effect on members of the national team, the inside story behind the notorious Kamp Staaldraad, and what he terms the rugby “treachery” of former Sharks front ranker Ollie le Roux.
Written with The Mercury’s rugby writer, Mike Greenaway, Captain In The Cauldron says that former Sharks Ollie le Roux and Chris Rossouw were involved in “a poisonous collaboration” against a number of younger Sharks players, especially in their disastrous 2000 tour under Hugh Reece-Edwards.
“Those guys taught me a lot about what not to do in a team environment.”
During practice, Smit wrote, Le Roux would deliberately hold back against the scrummaging machine – his way “of telling me that I needed to know my place”.
As senior front rankers they had wanted to control the team and, night after night, he says, they had accused Smit and Craig Davidson of causing a rift in the team. He was appalled at the treatment meted out to former Sharks captain Wayne Fyvie – a true son of KwaZulu-Natal, who had put his body on the line in every match.
G’morning Puma!!!!!
Happy Birthday Isigidi. Have a good one.
Awesome weekend again, Bokke and Proteas!!!!! life is good
14 – Morning Tripples.
So excited for this game tonight. Damn it is on late.
yes but you can watch the T20 and then the Ruggaboes!!!! hehehehe
what time is kick-off?
16 – Trips you can say that again. What a sports feast we have today.
Go PROTEAS AND BOKKE.
#8
SB
If thats what the players do, what effect does PdV have.
19 – Trips. Kick off is 21.25pm tonight. BUT we have the cricket to watch while waiting.. HEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAA. Really looking forward to this game but also the cricket.
Does ANYBODY know where I can catch the game on the internet?
Im gonna try out justin.tv, but its not always a sure bet. Im here in Korea, so its mostly a “restricted” area as far as streeming is concerned. Any help will be appreciated.
11 – Ash, Morning mate, Where you see some of the extracts from JS book?
GG I have no clue, pity Pietmanis not here, he would have been able to tell you where
Hmmmm that is a late kick-off
23 – Pietman will know he was living there. Probably Piet will log on later and will let you know mate.
Otherwise will try and find out for you. Not very sure myself but see some sites mentioned on the otherside so will ask and see if anyone knows there.
21
sorry i dont understand, but i also like a coach who does the talking on the field, and the results PdV gets out of his boys is great, incredible and i love it.
This is funny!!!!! Even if I am a Bulls supporter!
Albert Einstein arrives at a party and introduces himself to the first
person he sees and asks, “What is your IQ?” to which the man answers
“241.”
“That is wonderful!,” says Albert. “We will talk about the Grand
Unification
Theory and the mysteries of the Universe. We will have much to discuss!”
Next Albert introduces himself to a woman and asks, “What is your IQ?”
To
which the lady answers, “144.”
“That is great!,” responds Albert. “We can discuss politics and current
affairs. We will have much to discuss!”
Albert goes to another gentleman and asks, “What is your IQ?” to which
the
man answers, “16.”
Albert responds, “Hoe gaan dit met die Bulle”?
Am in total agreement Super……I also love the way the players love and respect him, seeing that just made me know that this is the right mix
28 – Trips 😆
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