Bakkies Botha

John Philip "Bakkies" Botha, (born 22 September 1979) is a South African former professional rugby union player who played as a lock for the Springboks until 2014. He was a member of the national team that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France in addition to winning two Tri Nations titles in the 2004 Tri Nations Series and the 2009 Tri Nations Series. Botha played for RC Toulonnais in the Top 14 after signing from Blue Bulls provincial team in the Currie Cup competition and the Bulls Super Rugby team. Botha was also a member of the Toulon squad which won the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup Finals. Botha became widely associated with fellow international lock Victor Matfield for their highly successful onfield partnership with the Springboks. Botha also took part in the annual Rico Geerkens Retirement Centre derby.

Bakkies Botha
Bakkies Botha, dressed in the Springbok change kit after a pre-match warm up
Birth nameJohn Philip Botha
Date of birth (1979-09-22) 22 September 1979
Place of birthNewcastle, South Africa
Height2.02 m (6 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight124 kg (273 lb; 19 st 7 lb)
SchoolHTS Middelburg and Vereeniging THS, South Africa
Occupation(s)Professional rugby union footballer
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011–2015 Toulon 73 (20)
Correct as of 30 January 2015
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1999–2000
2001–2011		 Falcons
Blue Bulls		 22
53		 (12)
(50)
Correct as of 24 March 2015
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2002–2011 Bulls 100 (55)
Correct as of 25 November 2013
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2002–2014
2010
2008-2015
2014
2001–2003
2001
1998		 South Africa (test)
South Africa (tour)
Barbarians
Springbok XV
South Africa 'A'
South Africa Under-23
South African Schools		 85
1
4
1
6
3		 (35)
(5)
(0)
(5)
(5)
(5)
Correct as of 17 November 2014

Career

Botha played for the under-19 and under-23 Springbok sides before being chosen for the South African "A" team that toured Europe at the end of 2001. The following year he was selected for the Springbok team and made his debut against France in Marseille on 9 September 2002, a game the Springboks went on to lose 30–10.

Through the years Botha and Blue Bulls teammate Victor Matfield formed a formidable partnership at lock for both their province and country. Botha is known as one of the "hardest" locks in world rugby, and is nicknamed "The Enforcer" for his physical play.[1]

His confrontational style has resulted in a number of controversial incidents. He received a yellow card for stamping in his debut against France.[2] Then in August 2003 he was accused of biting and then eye-gouging Wallabies hooker Brendan Cannon, and although there was insufficient video evidence to consider the biting charge, and he was found not guilty of gouging, he was still suspended for eight weeks for "attacking the face".[3] Cannon has given interviews stating that Botha both bit and gouged him,[4] and Botha himself gave an interview to The Times saying that his ban was "for an eye-gouge".[5]

In April 2009 he received a three-match ban for striking Phil Waugh in a 2009 Super 14 season match,[6]

In June 2009 whilst playing for South Africa in the second test against the British & Irish Lions, Botha was banned for two weeks for a dangerous charge on the Lions prop Adam Jones in a ruck which left the Welsh player with a dislocated shoulder requiring surgery.[7][8] Botha's appeal against the ban was dismissed, and he missed the third test against the Lions.[9] The injured Jones himself later came out in defence of Botha, saying:

Botha shouldn't have been banned for it, nowhere near it. I don't have any complaints. He just cleared me out of the ruck and I got caught. Everyone counter-rucks nowadays and, if anything, I was in the wrong place. He just hit me and I was unlucky. So I was surprised to see he got banned. I know we didn't cite him so I don't know why the independent commissioner did. It was just a fair ruck from a hard player. When I have met him before he seems like a tidy enough bloke so I'm not seeing it as anything malicious.[10][11]

In a controversial move, the whole South African team wore armbands with 'Justice 4' (a reference to Botha's shirt number) written on them in the third and final test against the Lions, in support of Botha and in protest over perceived inconsistencies in the citing process,[12] for which the South African Rugby Union was charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the IRB.

In May 2010, during the Bulls Super 14 game against the Stormers, Botha was suspended for four weeks following a dangerous clearout of wing Gio Aplon.[13] This was Botha's first match as captain of the Bulls. The suspension meant Botha missed the playoffs.

On 10 July 2010, in the 1st test of the 2010 Tri Nations Series against New Zealand, Botha was suspended from all rugby for 9 weeks by an IRB judiciary for head-butting All Black halfback Jimmy Cowan, ruling him out of the remainder of the 2010 Tri Nations Series.[14]

Botha played in three winning Currie Cup finals with the Bulls ('02, '04 & '09), and was also a member of the victorious Bulls team in the Super 14 in the 2007 Super 14 season, 2009 Super 14 season and 2010 Super 14 season. He also won the Heineken Cup/European Rugby Champions Cup with Toulon in 2013, 2014 and 2015. He is now one of the most decorated players in world rugby.[15]

Appraisal

Whilst known as a very hard player, his disciplinary record was actually not unusual.[16]

Botha is regularly listed in 'greatest ever' sides,[17] and coach Bernard Laporte said he was the greatest player he ever coached.[18][19]

Honours

Nominee for SA player of the year in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Voted by the French publication Midi Olympique in 2013 as the best No. 4 lock to ever play the game. At the time, he was one of only two players in the best XV still playing, the other being Richie McCaw.

The only player in the history of rugby union to date to have won a hat trick of Super Rugby and European rugby titles.

Blue Bulls

Bulls

Toulon

South Africa

Activities in retirement

As of 2019 Botha runs a butchery business in South Africa called "Bakkies the Butcher".[20][21]

References
  1. "Who's Who of Southern Africa". 24.com. Archived from the original on 4 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
  2. "France prance to 30–10 win over Boks". Independent Online. 10 November 2002.
  3. "IOL: IOL Sport". Archived from the original on 22 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  4. "BBC SPORT | Rugby Union | Internationals | Kefu escapes serious injury". BBC News. 3 August 2003. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  5. "Rugby Union". Timesonlnine.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2016. (subscription required)
  6. Kyle Mackey-Laws (15 April 2009). "Botha suspension boosts Brumbies". Archived from the original on 12 October 2009.
  7. "Lions lose both props for third test after surgery". The Guardian. London. 28 June 2009.
  8. CombatBok (28 June 2009). "Bakkies Botha vs. Adam Jones". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  9. "Botha banned for charge on Jones". RTÉ News. 28 June 2009. Archived from the original on 1 July 2009.
  10. "Planet Rugby | Rugby Union Tournaments | British & Irish Lions | Botha exonerated by Adam Jones". Archived from the original on 19 December 2010. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  11. "Bakkies Botha hit was just one of those things, says Adam Jones". WalesOnline. 13 August 2009. Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  12. "Springboks seek 'justice' for Botha". The Irish Times. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  13. "Rugby videos of tackles, tries, funny incidents and more on ... - Ominous signs from awesome South Africans - 56141166". Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  14. Spiro Zavos (12 July 2010). "The Boks have to play more rugby, less thugby". "The Roar.
  15. "Heineken Cup: The most glittering rugby CVs in the world? | Live Rugby News". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  16. "Enforcing the reality of Bakkies Botha & giving perception the red card". KEO.co.za. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  17. "Bakkies and Martin Johnson are my dream number 4 picks". KEO.co.za. 8 May 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  18. "Bakkies: We made history". www.sarugbymag.co.za. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  19. ""Bakkies, c'était mon idole": Entre Bakkies Botha et Bernard Laporte, c'est (Toujours) l'amour fou". 8 April 2021.
  20. "'Bakkies the Butcher' spices things up in the kitchen". Sport. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  21. "Bakkies the Butcher – Online Butcher". Retrieved 1 June 2021.
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