Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer

Cape Town – Bakkies Botha has dropped one of the strongest hints yet that his revered second-row alliance with Victor Matfield for South Africa may continue through to the next World Cup in 2011.

The pair teamed up at a Springbok media briefing on Thursday, to mark the fact that on Saturday, against the Wallabies in the Vodacom Tri-Nations at Newlands, they will lock the Bok scrum for the 50th time as a partnership.

Enforcer Botha was in customary ebullient spirits and joked that “if the game was tonight I’d be very happy” as he scoffed at Australian suggestions that his play too often tested the bounds of legality.

“I can’t hold back on the type of rugby I play or the particular talents I’ve been blessed with,” he said. “I can’t go out and give 90 percent on the field to please certain (people).”

But he retained his humour by describing how, considering the relative frequency with which he faces disciplinary proceedings, he is able to identify observers at training.

“If one of the players asks who a guy standing alongside the field is, I can say ‘hey, I know, that’s the Sharks citing commissioner’!”

Turning to the milestone with his long-time Bulls team-mate on Saturday, Botha said: “It’s not too much about the occasion of 50 Tests together: it’s about each of us simply continuing doing what we do best for our country.

“We’ve played as a pair for many years, to the point that I can even tell from Victor’s body language what kind of ball he’s planning to take in the lineout.

“One of the secrets of our success, I think, is that Victor does some of the things I don’t enjoy doing as much, and (vice-versa). It’s sometimes said that I clean out for two, so Victor doesn’t need to!

“An asset Victor always brings, you have to say, is great calmness to the entire team.”

Asked whether they would strive to extend their synergy for the Boks to the 2011 World Cup – when Matfield would be at least 34 and Botha 31 – the latter replied that they “talk a lot about how long we might go on”.

“I was at a breakfast where our 2007 World Cup win was (revisited). You can see even from viewing 2007 footage how some of our guys’ bodies are getting older – it’s like an old diesel.

“But if God blesses us as injury-free and so on for 2011, then that’s great. But right now it’s about Saturday and another day at the office.”

The rangier Matfield, meanwhile, said there had been uncanny similarities between the two in other areas.

“We got married the same weekend and our first children were born not far apart, so maybe we will also retire from rugby together one day!”

Asked about lock succession in the national team, Matfield said Andries Bekker was “an awesome player” who might have been nearing 40 or 50 caps in any other side.

“Danie Rossouw is presently the nearest equivalent to a Bakkies lock and he is around our age, so obviously we’ve got to look around for (alternatives) in the future there.”