Tri-Nations
Div expects to lose Bakkies
2010-07-10 15:43
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Auckland - The Springboks are set to be denied the services of Bakkies Botha for the rest of the away leg of the Tri-Nations, with coach Peter de Villiers saying he expected his enforcer lock to be cited for a headbutt on All Blacks scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan.
Botha charged down a kick by Cowan in the opening minutes of the Test in Auckland, with the scrumhalf then grabbing him by the shorts to prevent him from chasing after the rebound.
Botha responded by tackling Cowan from behind and then followed through by butting him in the back of the head. The incident was replayed several times on TV and on the big screens at the ground, guaranteeing that the Springbok management will be receiving a nasty little fax at their hotel from citing commissioner Dennis Wheelahan within the next 12 hours.
"Bakkies will be cited, so we just have to wait and take it from there," De Villiers said when asked about the incident after the Springboks slumped to a 32-12 defeat at the hands of the All Blacks.
By the 15th minute, the Springboks had lost the services of Botha on the field for the opening Test as well, the perpetual offender being yellow-carded in an incident that shifted the momentum markedly the New Zealanders' way.
The South Africans had repelled wave after wave of All Blacks attack before eventually conceding a penalty in the shadow of their own poles. It was the first penalty they had conceded in their red zone, but referee Alan Lewis reached for the yellow card and Botha would be missing for the next 10 minutes.
The visitors had begun to gain an edge in the scrums, after starting with two shaky ones, but the loss of Botha immediately took that away and also contributed to an inexplicably lacklustre display at the breakdowns, collisions and tackles.
Thirteen points were scored in that period as the All Blacks enthusiastically seized control of the Test, playing like men possessed as their intensity, energy and physicality overwhelmed the Springboks. By the time Botha returned, the South Africans had been put through a series of five-metre scrums and it was clear they were staring a heavy defeat in the face.
If only Botha could have focused his aggression into more constructive actions, the Springboks might not have suffered their biggest defeat since their 'reserves' lost 33-6 to the All Blacks in Christchurch shortly before the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The last time the full-strength side lost by so many points was in the infamous Brisbane massacre when the Wallabies thrashed them 49-0 in 2006.
Even in congratulating the All Blacks for their convincing, well-deserved triumph, there was a hint of what might have been in De Villiers's words:
"If we had had the aggression they had, I would have been very happy. But they created their own luck. We allowed them too much and then, out of frustration, we tried to play too much rugby in our own half."
"If we allow them to compete with us physically and win the contests, then we will pay the price," De Villiers said.
All Blacks coach Graham Henry evaded questions about the Bakkies headbutt, but did urge the New Zealand media to "get into it".
Botha's subsequent yellow-carding also disrupted the Springboks' defensive line because one of the loose forwards then had to pack down at lock in the scrums, with one of the wings coming on to the flank.
"I think we all know that if your wing has to go into the scrum, it definitely leaves holes, either for the kick-chase or the openside play. It definitely disrupted us," fullback Zane Kirchner said.