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.”

60 Responses to Bakkies doesn’t ‘kick his kids’

  • 31

    Having my first beer for the Friday warming up for the game, eish its going to be a big one. Adi, Kanko knows that they will have to prove there worth so Im expecting big games from both of them. Dont know what to make of Kirchner yet

  • 32

    Disa

    Adi, Kanko and Kichner. Good thing they are playing in a team of champs.

  • 33

    For sure, see CJ is talking about moving back to SA and that he mentioned Cape Town.

    One of these days we got bragging rights again

  • 34

    Trippels 28

    ‘n Man sit in ‘n kroeg saam met sy vriend, en drink ‘n rustige bier. Hy vra sy vriend of hy hom die Blou Bul grappie kan vetrel. ‘n Massive stuk bees van ‘n mens sit reg langs hom en stop hom voor hy iets verder kan se. “luister vriend” se die bees “Ek is self ‘n Bul ondersteuner, en so ook die bouncer. En sien jy daai twee manne by die pool tafel, die een is ‘n 5de swart belt in karate en SA middelgewig karate kampioen. Die ander man by hom weeg 130 Kg en is ‘n professionele body builder. By die tafel in die nader hoek sit Hatfield polisiekantoor se rugbyspan voorry. Hulle is almal aggresiewe bul ondersteuners, is jy seker jy wil daai grappie vertel?”

    “Nee wat” se die man “ek is nie lus om die grappie 8 keer te verduidelik nie.”

  • 35

    Go Bokke!

    I am a bit worried about K.A.K.

    That`s Kanko, Adi and Kirchner.

    Ok, ok, just joking.

  • 36

    Bliksem… if he is also in the team by at the same time as Habana, Burger and Fourie, wel slaan my met ‘n nat snoek.

  • 37

    Vrydag die dertiende is grappie dag op R-T.

    Why are wp rugbyplayers the best lovers?

    They can stay on top for 80 minutes and still come second!

  • 38

    he he good one Pill

  • 39

    Greenpoint – go to this site http://www.livetv4ever.com you buy 1 month supersport coverage, all ss channels for USD5. Not a bad price, less than we fork out for the SS portion through dstv.

  • 40

    Congratulations, Isigidi!

    May God bless you with a year you’ll treasure for as long as you live.

    And a Bok win in France would be a great way to kick it off, not so? I mean the team can’t travel all that way just Toulouse….? 😉

  • 41

    Thanks onerd!

  • 42

    Fanks for birfday wishes to all. Tripples, Puma etc.
    Gonna miss the ruggas tonight. :upside down smiley:
    Girl friend planned something for tonight.
    Something tells me I wanna miss this game tonight!
    :mischievous smiley:

  • 43

    #42 Isigidi

    Happy Happy my fellow Scorpion.

  • 44

    GG @41
    For the third and last time I am posting you this link, don’t you read my posts?
    You owe me three cold Hites 🙂
    //live.spvod.com

    Just download the player, it takes to seconds.
    It is for free in Korea, especially for you!
    Go there NOW and watch SuperSport Ch 1, just to test.
    The streaming is from China, just click
    ‘translation’, top right corner.

    Somebody, give this to GG please, in case he misses it again.

    Isigidi
    Happy bifday old son!

    Puma
    See you at game time, I just rolled into town, have to go shoppiong.
    Cheers bru.

  • 45

    @44
    http://www.spvod.com/live
    if memory serves.

  • 46

    Isi, geluk met die verjaarsdag, 21 jaar oud ? 😉

  • 47

    GG
    Ek het pas ge-check, Bokke/Leicester replay tans op spvod/live.
    Daai stream werk soos n bom in Korea, ek gebr5uik dit in die sportsbar soms.
    Jy kan Supersport SA daar kry, heeldag.

  • 48

    Pietman
    Wanneer kom jy af Kaap toe????

  • 49

    44 – Cheers Piet, See you later here during the game.

  • 50

    31- Disa

    Your first beer? 😀 Vevery early here still. Where you live mate?

  • 51

    typo. Vevery = very

  • 52

    Greenpoint-Gunner, Pietman & anyone else in Asia

    It is being shown LIVE on TV5MONDE Asie – the French Channel on Cable TV. Most Cable TV companies carry this channel cos it is free. TV5 always show France v anyone Rugby games 🙂

    The commentary will be in French but you will no doubt get lots of “oh mon dieu & oh la la” 😆

  • 53

    puma @ 51
    bloody hell puma
    you sound drunk!!

  • 54

    gehoor joost en steve het ñ nuwe popgroep begin?
    hulle sal glo bekend staan
    as
    ….
    “SPYKER”!! 😆

  • 55

    54: ja, Spyker in die doodskis !

  • 56

    so van joost gepraat, gehoor joost het sy springbokkleure vir steek gekry?
    sê mnr. steve oosthuizen, voorsitter van “steek vir springbokkleure”: ….
    “joost het in aanmerking gekom vir hierdie unieke prestasie want

    hy’t ñ tert gesteek
    hy’t ñ atleet opgesteek
    hy’t steve verbygesteek
    hy’t sy familie in die skande gesteek
    en hy’s deur supersport in die pad gesteek”

  • 57

    bendieleeu
    hoesit broetsie?

  • 58

    57: hallo ley, goed hierdie kant en daar, gaan ons wen vanaand ?

  • 59

    bdb
    goed, soos altyd en ja, ons gaan beslis wen!

  • 60

    53 – Ash 😆 Not yet Ash, too early in the day for me. I make lot of those typos. 😉

    Waiting for tonight though we beat the French then have to come off my health diet. Only been drinking water for the past two weeks. Never lasts long though.

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