Bakkies Botha
Encyclopedia
John Philip "Bakkies" Botha, (born 22 September 1979 in Newcastle
, KwaZulu-Natal Province) is a South African rugby union
player who plays lock for the Springboks
. He was a member of the national team that won the Rugby World Cup in 2007 in addition to winning two Tri-Nations titles in 2004 and 2009. Botha plays for the Blue Bulls
provincial team in the Currie Cup
competition and for the Bulls
Super Rugby team. He will join French Top 14 team Toulon for the 2011/12 season on a 3 year deal.
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.
His confrontational style has resulted in a number of controversial incidents. He received a yellow card for stamping on his debut against France. 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". Cannon has given interviews stating that Botha both bit and gouged him http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/international/3119163.stm http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/rugby_union/2489130/Bloody-thug.html, and Botha himself gave an interview to The Times saying that his ban was "for an eye-gouge" http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article6444957.ece.
In April 2009 he received a 3 match ban for striking Phil Waugh
in a Super 14 match, and in June 2009 whilst playing for South Africa
in the second test against the British and 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. Botha's appeal against the ban was dismissed, and he missed the third test
against the Lions.
The injured Jones himself later came out in defence of Botha, saying:
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, for which the union was charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the IRB
. On 10 July 2010, in the 1st test of the Tri Nations Tournament 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 tournament
.
Botha has played in three Currie Cup finals with the Bulls ('02, '04 & '09 having been on World Cup duty in '03 when the Bulls won and withdrawn from Currie Cup action in '06 by the then Springbok coach Jake White when the Bulls shared the cup), and was also a member of the victorious Bulls team in the Super 14 in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal
Newcastle is the third largest city and urban center in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Newcastle is located in the North West corner of the province along the Ncandu River and is moderately industrial....
, KwaZulu-Natal Province) is a South African rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who plays lock for the Springboks
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
. He was a member of the national team that won the Rugby World Cup in 2007 in addition to winning two Tri-Nations titles in 2004 and 2009. Botha plays for the Blue Bulls
Blue Bulls
The Blue Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Blue Bulls, or more popularly by their Afrikaans name die Blou Bulle, are a South African rugby union team that participates in the annual Currie Cup tournament...
provincial team in the Currie Cup
Currie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
competition and for the Bulls
Bulls (rugby franchise)
The Bulls, for sponsorship reasons known as the Vodacom Bulls, are a South African rugby union team competing in the Super Rugby competition. They are based in Pretoria and play their home matches at Loftus Versfeld...
Super Rugby team. He will join French Top 14 team Toulon for the 2011/12 season on a 3 year deal.
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 FranceFrance national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
on 9 September 2002, a game the Springboks went on to lose 30–10.
Through the years Botha and Blue Bulls teammate Victor Matfield
Victor Matfield
Victor Matfield is a South African rugby union player. He has played for, and captained the Springbok rugby team as well as the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and the Bulls franchise in the Super 14...
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.
His confrontational style has resulted in a number of controversial incidents. He received a yellow card for stamping on his debut against France. Then in August 2003 he was accused of biting and then eye-gouging Wallabies hooker Brendan Cannon
Brendan Cannon
Brendan Cannon is a former Australian rugby union footballer who played for the national team, The Wallabies and three Australian teams in the Super 12 and Super 14 competitions....
, 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". Cannon has given interviews stating that Botha both bit and gouged him http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/international/3119163.stm http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/rugby_union/2489130/Bloody-thug.html, and Botha himself gave an interview to The Times saying that his ban was "for an eye-gouge" http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article6444957.ece.
In April 2009 he received a 3 match ban for striking Phil Waugh
Phil Waugh
Phillip Waugh is an Australian rugby union player, widely regarded as one of the world's leading flankers.His career as a player began at the Shore School, Captaining the school's team in 1997...
in a Super 14 match, and in June 2009 whilst playing for South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in the second test against the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
, Botha was banned for two weeks for a dangerous charge on the Lions prop Adam Jones
Adam Rhys Jones
Adam Rhys Jones is a Welsh international rugby union player, currently playing for the Ospreys in the RaboDirect Pro12. His usual position is at tighthead prop...
in a ruck which left the Welsh player with a dislocated shoulder
Dislocated shoulder
A dislocated shoulder occurs when the humerus separates from the scapula at the glenohumeral joint. The shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body and as a result is particularly susceptible to dislocation and subluxation. Approximately half of major joint...
requiring surgery. Botha's appeal against the ban was dismissed, and he missed the third test
2009 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa
The 2009 British and Irish Lions Tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour which took place in South Africa from May to July 2009....
against the Lions.
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."
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, for which the union was charged with bringing the game into disrepute by the IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
. On 10 July 2010, in the 1st test of the Tri Nations Tournament against New Zealand, Botha was suspended from all rugby for 9 weeks by an IRB
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
judiciary for head-butting All Black halfback Jimmy Cowan, ruling him out of the remainder of the 2010 Tri-Nations tournament
2010 Tri Nations Series
The 2010 Tri Nations Series is the fifteenth annual Tri Nations rugby union series between the national rugby union teams of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, respectively nicknamed the All Blacks, Wallabies, and Springboks...
.
Botha has played in three Currie Cup finals with the Bulls ('02, '04 & '09 having been on World Cup duty in '03 when the Bulls won and withdrawn from Currie Cup action in '06 by the then Springbok coach Jake White when the Bulls shared the cup), and was also a member of the victorious Bulls team in the Super 14 in 2007, 2009 and 2010.