Bakkies

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Springboks hard man Bakkies Botha has labelled Richie McCaw his toughest opponent and admitted his mission against the All Blacks was to “make the breakdown brutal”.

The legendary lock often took his game to the wrong side of the law and makes no apologies about that in a chapter dedicated to him in the new book Hard men of Rugby by Luke Upton.

Botha’s tactics against New Zealand proved effective. He played the All Blacks 15 times between 2003 and 2014 and came away with eight wins and seven losses, a rare winning percentage for any international player against the men in black.

Botha, now retired after 87 tests and a World Cup winner’s medal, said he always relished the challenge of playing the All Blacks, and McCaw in particular.

READ MORE:
* Springboks enforcer Bakkies Botha admits 'I was born to hurt others'
* My first test jersey – Four top All Blacks tell the stories of their special day
* Retiring All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw respected by team-mates and rivals alike

“They were always the hardest opponents we faced and there was no better player than Richie McCaw that I came up against,” Botha said

“My role was clear when playing against them: make the breakdown brutal.

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“If McCaw or any of the New Zealand boys had to take a moment to look out for me, then I knew I was winning.

“When I played them, I always wanted them to know I was coming for them, and the biggest compliment I ever received was from (South Africa coach) Jake White, who said he could see they had fear in their eyes during the game.”

Botha recalled the nine-week ban he got for hitting a prone All Blacks halfback Jimmy Cowan after a kick and chase in a 2011 Tri Nations test at Eden Park.

“That day in Auckland I was battling with Cowan following a kick. I was faster than him. I had passed him, and he pulled me by the shirt to slow me down. When I caught up with him 10 metres away, I made him understand that I hadn’t liked it … I hate injustice.

“It’s not something I’m proud of. I kind of dropped the Springboks that day. And Jimmy Cowan won the mini-battle.

“But I would react in exactly the same way today … it’s still the fault of the No 9. They talk too much and know better than anyone how to get you out of the game.”

Dave please take note:

‘They were always the hardest opponents we faced and there was no better player than Richie McCaw that I came up against,’ Botha said

‘My role was clear when playing against them: make the breakdown brutal.’

Beeno wont be happy his favourite players is giving such high accolades to McCaw as the best player he ever faced.

Beeno could make the worlds biggest omelette with all that egg he has over his face 

Love the bit where he outsprinted Cowan.

Walked past me once, made 6'4" of me feel like a sardine. The man is a giant even compared to other locks......always wondered how on earth blokes the size of George Smith would dare tackle him but tackle him they did.

Only one I can think of that could match Bakkies toughness was the Georgian Godzilla, Mamuka Gorgodze in his prime. They both opposed each other in French Club rugby. They both respected each other, a sort of love/hate relationship that they both understood.

He was a beast and one of the best at his peak. Hard, very strong and tough as nails.

Bakkies and Mamuka...not first game incident but second.

https://youtu.be/5DEI-Voyd-g

We really haven't had an enforcer of that kind since, the closest would be Flip, who really turned the power dial-up considerably - he also always had big games against the All Blacks. The last true power-pack we fielded was: 

1. Beast
2. Bismarck
3. Malherbe
4. Etzebeth
5. Flip
6. Louw
7. Alberts
8. Thor

AO

You have nio idea about the game and the so-called per packs is just another example.    You select a loosie that was not a loosie   but rather a slow prop playing at loosie.    The loosie combination was merely an extension of the Tight 5 and the opposition ran circles around them.

For the rest Flip was bloody useless and a penalty and card machine.   That type of forward pack in the game by 2013 was already flopping and should never be a consideration as son ably pointed out by Moolaa.

A real power pack was what the Springboks had in the WC - with a vastly better loosie combination by a mile as was starting in the final.   And proper coaching shoed how a power pack should be used and not the junk dished  out in 2013.            

AO

You have nio idea about the game and the so-called power packs is just another example.    You select a loosie that was not a loosie   but rather a slow prop playing at loosie.    The loosie combination was merely an extension of the Tight 5 and the opposition ran circles around them.

For the rest Flip was bloody useless and a penalty and card machine.   That type of forward pack in the game by 2013 was already flopping and should never be a consideration as was ably pointed out by Moolaa.

A real power pack was what the Springboks had in the 2019 WC - with a vastly better loosie combination by a mile as was starting in the final.   And proper coaching show ed how a power pack should be used and not the junk dished  out in 2013.           

Actually, the All Blacks were being cleaned out at the breakdown in the first 2013 encounter, and the Boks dominated possession and territory. The cars were the difference marker. The second test the Boks went all out on attack. 

SA lost both games - the second one because of Alberts and Morne missing crucial tackles and the all-put attack was unsuccessful as it were.     Bad news - the all-out attack failed because it was just not possible to have such an attack with Morne around and in the second test - he did not know when to pass and when to kick.   ,  

The second test was lost because JJ couldn't tackle. End of discussion. Morné was the only reliable tackler amongst the backs for the Boks. He made all of his tackles and prevented three tries with cover tackles. Without Morne that day, the All Blacks may have scored over 60 points. 

Simplistic minds like yours can never be trusted and is an abomination when rugby games are assessed.     It is just impossible to understand how stupid you really are,     I am not saying JJ did not miss a tackle  - but Morne missed 4 and Alberts missed one on Reid - the misses let to the scoring of two tries and Morne was directly responsible for the scoring of a third one by the AB's,

Fact and not stupidity as only you can display.      

Oaks Bakkies was the great lock and he actually did the job of two locks as pap wee victor was moonlighting out in the backline. This lead Bakkies to say victor doesn't always play in the backline.

Whilst the wee abs were mightily relieved to see the back of bakkies they always lauded the dud matfiled to the heavens. Dumb oaks here of course fell for the BS and grew to believe that matfiled was a great lock. What a con it all was.

Thankfully may oaks now know what a Bok pack should look like after what rassie put in place for he RWC. Unfortunately some oaks will never learn.

No mooooo mooo give me a Bakkies any day rather than a show pony like mccheat.

Face facts all wee mccheat was good at was manipulating the refs but even here one has to be careful not to give the crook too much praise as the refs were so bad they had to be bought and thus mccheats job was actually easy. 

Now before the KBBs have another mental and emotional break down about Beeno calling their hero mccheat please bear in mind that this was his international name and that he worked hard to earn the title. 

Add in his unsavoury episode with the British Madam and  the picture of the guy is complete.

No wee ritchie was a media creation. The longer a player sticks around the taller the tales about the players prowess. Mccheat epitomises this!

As for Bakkies praising wee mccheat well it's very obvious that Bakkies after knocking the living daylights out of the wee abs was trying to be sportsman like and offer a hand of peace with the forever butthurt kiwis. Sporting gesture Bakkies.