Botha’s Bok ambitions in limbo
4 Feb 2008
Gary Botha’s desire to play for the Springboks has never burned stronger but he’s not overly optimistic about his international future.
Botha, who signed a three-year deal with English Premiership side Harlequins last year, had a difficult 2007 under former Springbok coach Jake White. He came on as an early replacement for John Smit in the Tri-Nations opener against Australia, then started in Durban and Sydney, before being dropped for Bismarck du Plessis for the final match against the All Blacks in Christchurch.
Du Plessis, who came into the World Cup squad as a late replacement for Pierre Spies, then overtook him in the pecking order and played back-up to Smit for the World Cup semi-final and final.
Botha probably wouldn’t have featured often, if at all, this year had White remained as coach. However, with the introduction of a new boss in Peter de Villiers and the pending announcement of his assistants, Botha’s Test career may have been thrown a lifeline.
The 26-year-old is, however, not waiting by the phone to hear from De Villiers. In fact, the sense you get when talking to him is of a man hungry to continue playing for his country, but one who has at the same time resigned himself fact that he may not be part of De Villiers’s future plans.
“A new coach brings new ideas and philosophies about how the game should be played, and what type of players he needs to achieve his vision,” Botha told keo.co.za from his London base.
“Whether Peter has me in mind or not I don’t know. He hasn’t made any contact with me about meeting when he comes up here (De Villiers leaves for Europe on February 8 to meet with foreign-based players and their coaches, as well as to gather data on Wales and Italy who they play in mid-year Tests). I can’t tell you what he’s thinking. To be honest I’m not holding my breath for a call.
“I’ll always have an allegiance to my country, and I still want to play for South Africa. If he does ask about my availability, I’ll have to negotiate with Quins [to return to South Africa], but I’d been dead keen to play.”
Harlequins suffered a pool stage exit in the European Cup, failing to win any matches, and a disappointing Energy Cup campaign where they lost two of their three pool matches. They are, however, still well placed at the halfway stage of the Premiership, and will hope to elevate themselves from sixth position to a to a top four finish.
Botha’s form in the European Cup was criticised by the British press, who questioned his ability to operate without the world’s best lock combination, Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield, to aim at.
“That’s an unfair thing to say,” he counters. “Victor in particular is one of a kind, the best in the business. You don’t have a player in the world who is even close to him so you can’t expect the same consistency we had at the Bulls. That lineout was so efficient that it skewed people’s perception of what a normal lineout should operate like. You’re going to make errors. It’s not going to be perfect all the time.
“Statistically we’re the fourth best lineout team in the Premiership and we’ve got some outstanding locks here who I’m beginning to gel with nicely. Of course I can play without Victor and Bakkies, but it takes time to settle. Don’t judge me now.”
By Ryan Vrede
91 Comments
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4 Feb 2008, 20:33 pm
Guys we are sitting around complaining about some elite running our game! Come on join in uniting the supporters! Click on my nick!
4 Feb 2008, 20:42 pm
Werner, your surname not Greeff by any chance?
4 Feb 2008, 20:44 pm
Gary Botha was never good enough anyway. He was lucky to be a Bok and should be grateful he had a chance. As expected, he couldn’t cut the mustard.
John Smit and Bismark Du Plessis are far, far better hookers.
4 Feb 2008, 20:45 pm
I’ve been messing around Toutube a bit, do yourselves a favour and go look for some of Richard Prior’s stand up comedy stuff…….. freegin funny
Also Eddie Murphy & Chris Rock……
Hehehehe
4 Feb 2008, 20:46 pm
Sorry Richard Pryor…
4 Feb 2008, 20:54 pm
I don’t understand why anyone would consider discarding a world cup winning captain, and all the experience and leadership he can bring to the team. Has John Smit suffered a career ending injury in France? No. Is John Smit Johan Ackerman’s age? No. So what’s the debate?
4 Feb 2008, 21:04 pm
John Smit is not the best hooker in the country, even at the Sharks he was rotated with Bismark because his physique could not endure 80 minutes of punishment week in and week out, whether he is the best captain in the country is up to debate, far as Jake was concerned he was. now its another chapter and quite a different ball game or kettle of fish going to be frying from here on, does he have the tenacity, and athleticism to sustain the challenge, who would know, maybe only he would deep down?
4 Feb 2008, 21:14 pm
#52 skopskiet, no, i’m not greeff…
4 Feb 2008, 21:36 pm
How did I guess you’d take that view Skopskiet.
4 Feb 2008, 22:24 pm
Snippets from A South African Rugby View blogsite
Jake White did a magnificent job to haul the Boks back from where they were. Under Viljoen and Streauli it seemed that we believed that belief was enough – if we believed that we were the best, then the rest would follow. Jake White brought the sticky tape and plaster to help us improve the reality. He recognised that South African passion, defence and strong set-pieces were strengths to re-establish confidence and a base from which to build.
Arrogance is belief that ignores the facts. And just as Streauli and Viljoen showed arrogance with no apparent plan, Jake’s arrogance appears to have been total belief in his plan.
The facts have shown that we have been less than a threat to the All Blacks. Yes, we more than others have competed against the Kiwis away from their home, but while coming close a few times, we have a terrible win-loss record away from our home turf. But beyond the mere facts of our away win-loss ratio that stands won 1 lost 9 against the major rugby powers under Jake White, it is the way we have played that tells another story.
The Jake White Plan was enough to get us to number two because of the reliance on passion and physicality – two attributes that allow us to beat most sides. But they would never be enough to establish us as number one. The Australians have worked for years on building high-skill attacking rugby. While their forward game has not allowed them the strength of possession to truly unleash this, the names of their backs over the last ten years shows some of the most skillful guys yet to play the game. The All Blacks do physical and passionate rugby well, but they have also had backs who have out-skilled and out-thought the Boks.
Jake White’s arrogance was his failure to recognise this. He might point to injuries, transformation and his starting position as mitigating factors to his team’s current fall from grace, but to do so ignores what could have been done and what has not.
4 Feb 2008, 22:28 pm
more,…
White has turned around the procession of Springbok players that marked the Streauli reign. But the faith shown in his capped players has contributed to some baffling selections and some might say contributed to the lack of depth and experienced combinations.
There are so many excuses that have been offered for the Boks increasingly fragile looking state. Foremost of White’s have been lack of cooperation from the Super 14 franchises and lack of power to make things happen. No South African coach has ever had more power than Jake White, and it is difficult to see how the franchises could be asked to do more than give up their star players in the manner enabled by SARU.
4 Feb 2008, 22:34 pm
sarugbyview.blogspot.com/2006/07/jake-white-maybe-its-time-you-went.html
This article was written before the WC, i found it a intresting read.
“Another option is to appoint a mentor to White. Formally promoting McIntosh to this role from selector might help give someone the power to question White’s logic and provide more advice. McIntosh is the logical candidate due to White’s willingness to work with him. Naas Botha is another. White is likely to refuse to work with Mallet or Alan Solomons, two other possible candidates. Du Plessis does not present himself as a likely mentor due to his amenable nature”
“Appointing a mentor is my preferred option. I have a preference for Mallet because I believe the Boks and White need a rocket lit under them and Mallet is the most likely to give it. But Mallet and White don’t talk much. Botha represents the likely candidate”
At the end the mentor was EJ.
4 Feb 2008, 22:38 pm
I see the Lions have lost their captain Ernst Joubert, as well as Willem Alberts for the first part of the S14. Both were injured in the Bulls game in Windhoek.
News from the Bulls camp is that Habana did not break a rib, its just bruised, and he should be ready to play against the Stormers.
Tough times for the Lions, it seems.
4 Feb 2008, 22:41 pm
skoppie
i have to say i was a big fan of john smit when he came onto the scene. i thought his mobility and technical game was really good and he had the potential to develop into a test player.
not long after that i met a saffa guy who went to school with john smit, and got the impression that smit was a class oke capable of leading a good team.
then i started doubting smit’s ability. his form was rubbish, and he wasnt getting the basics as well as i like them done. he was falling off tackles. he was no where on the field in terms of workrate when i compared him to cannon, mealamu, steve thompson, ibanez, oliver. then came 2007. the guy stood up. you cant ignore how much his game lifted. and the best part is that his teammates saw it, it inspired them to follow him.
regardless of the WC win. his 2007 season was massive as a player on the field. for me, he then stood well above all the other hookers in the country, and the world.
his rotation at the sharks was merely muir getting bismark experience and blooding him in.
compare the 2 saffa WC winning captains and you have to see the contribution on the field by smit is far higher than pienaar. both were inspirational, but you can just see the influence smit has, that pienaar didnt. we all knew that pienaar was not the best in his position, he was average but a darn good captain. smit was best in his position and became the best captain over his reign.
4 Feb 2008, 23:28 pm
super its incredibly funny or coincidental that i was reading and commenting exactly on that very piece i found same time as you and remarking how the mentor that Jake needed he eventually succumbed to accepting his own lack by turning to EJ, because his ego would never have allowed him to turn to Nick or Naas or Carel or Ian Mack, but a mentor he seriously needed without a doubt, and thankfully one was ready and available to bail him out of his sorry spiral.
4 Feb 2008, 23:44 pm
A little bit of reality checking
October 19, 2007
In the tournament, South Africa has played only one other team in the top group – sixth-placed England. All their other matches were against relatively inconsequential teams such as Tonga, Fiji, and the United States. Now it turns out that by playing and beating the 6th placed team twice, South Africa will have done enough to propel themselves into the number one spot. More bizarrely, should England win by 15 or more points tomorrow, they will jump to number one. Now admittedly, England will have done more to earn this by beating three higher-ranked teams: Australia, France, and maybe South Africa.
But under either scenario, the new number one team will have risen to the top without beating the team that has been ranked number one since 2004. This could happen because the IRB puts a premium on RWC Finals. You win a World Cup Final and your ranking’s going to get an extra boost. Fair enough, only the premium is a hefty 100%. In short, the rankings after Saturday may say less about the relative strengths of teams and more about the IRB’s fiddling with the numbers. Because of the way the IRB will weight this one game, the Springboks are on the verge of rising above the All Blacks in the world rankings. This will happen despite;
1. …having a worse win-loss ratio for 2007
2. …having a worse win-loss ratio for 2006
3. …having a worse win-loss ratio for 2005
4. …having lost four of their last five games to the All Blacks
5. …having lost more games in each of the past three years
The IRB folk have made some classic blunders in this tournament, but putting a 100% premium on the RWC Final takes the cake. Thanks to their collective wisdom, the number 2 team is about to become the number 1 team by beating the number 6 team.
4 Feb 2008, 23:51 pm
skopskiet THANK YOU!!!
It would appear that commonsense is not a requirement on this site. there is no way SA is the best team in the world! New Zealand hasnt won the WC since 87′, but that doesnt change the fact that they are the best!
And ‘Train’, take your head out of jakes arse. It cant be comfortable for him…
4 Feb 2008, 23:52 pm
SS you have a lot of stats on Jake , i was wondering how many players did Jake use in his 4 years.
I had those stats but my computer drive packed up so i lost all that database. I remember in my last “investigation” on that matter that Jake picked a few players in his first year and some of them only reapeared in his last year. One that comes to mind is Aswin, although injured. Another possible one/s will be Sepaka or even Julies.
How long did Strauli coach and how many boks played for him?
5 Feb 2008, 02:16 am
wow skop – still hijacking posts with your anti-jake crusade. you must be frothing at the mouth by now.
as for Gary Botha – i dont recall anyone outside of pretoria ever rating this guy. and those that did wanted him in purely because they had issues with smit.
smit will continue as bok captain and hooker this year, being replaced probably by bismarck with chilli as understudy in time.
lets hope we also see some of brits’s early promise shown again this season. not a tight hooker by any means – but what a player to have on your bench.
5 Feb 2008, 05:54 am
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhh k*k here we go again, skopskiet mouthing off about white like some friggn luney with a hate obsession. Borring!
For the record, zman, the AB’s are not NO1. It is only pure arrogance on your part that says they are. It was one of the reasons why the kiwis in general got a pasting on this blog………the arrogant attitude they had before the WC. Ended up with mud on their faces. Especially those d*cks who only purchased WC Final tickets………why can you not just be gracious and accept the fact that you need to beat the Boks to regain the No1 status. I’m not saying it is not going to happen, especially with a new coach, probably new players and new rules, but hey only then you can gloat.
Otherwise it just sounds like sour grapes!!
Oh BTW, I think GB is a k*k player..
5 Feb 2008, 05:58 am
Hehehe more whatever!
5 Feb 2008, 06:02 am
The thing is, you either agree with the concept of a WC or you don’t. There is a very logical reason why the WC counts for double the points of any other game, it is not easy to win, simple as that. Just ask the ABs, they have not done it in 20+ years…
5 Feb 2008, 06:12 am
More boys
Feck it is cold & miserable here
Back of the boys in Black or I will tell everyone about that *** p*rn movie you starred in …
5 Feb 2008, 06:18 am
More Princess, never knew whatever is a ‘movie star’, let alone one of THOSE ones…
Come visit Brisbane, nice albeit a little wet…
PS Did you manage to get your email address to Manly?
PPS Have you registered on superbru? Time to walk the walk…
5 Feb 2008, 06:19 am
Princess do you know how you tell the difference between summer and winter in NZ?
In summer the raindrops are warmer.
Have a good one,gotta go.
5 Feb 2008, 06:28 am
More Koosie
What makes you think I was talking to Whatever ?
Brisbane sounds tempting – I could visit my god son on Hope Island
My niece started school this week – I asked her father if he was attaching a warning label for the teacher ! She looks like butter would not melt in her mouth (blond hair huge blue eyes & a sweet SWEET smile) but has a simply unholy level of determination & is completely without fear – not a really good combo for the poor unsuspecting teacher
Not did not get email to Manly – he scared me off with his talk of stalkers & Fernly
Have not registered … my problem is I cannot be unemotional about my picks – I pick em because I want them to win, not necessarily because they have the skills to do so. I hate coming last
well in competitions anyway 
5 Feb 2008, 06:28 am
Fern
Typical … a drive by.
5 Feb 2008, 06:32 am
Well it can’t be me so it must be him…
The good teachers are up to it, don’t worry. For the rest, its their problem.
I have registered and don’t worry, it takes a special effort to come last….
Aish
5 Feb 2008, 06:39 am
Princess I dont have much time,spend some time with you and you make all rude remarks in return.
You carry on like this I may well change my mind and not knock you up.
Awaiting your apology,babes.
5 Feb 2008, 06:39 am
If you say so …
You have to love DVD shopping HKG where the “genuine copy” man delivers – for A$4 each
Little madam is 5 going on 30 years old & probably to clever for her own good. On her 4th birthday I gave her a puzzle designed for 6-8 years olds thinking (mistakenly) we could do it together. She insisted on going it alone & returned 8 mins later to ask “did you got me something else because I finished it already ?”.
Ok, I will think about it … got a link ?
What ?
5 Feb 2008, 06:41 am
Fernly good morning
OOOOOHHHHHH EEEEEEWWWWWWW :SHOCK:
I tell you what – why don’t you hold your breath while waiting for that apology ?
5 Feb 2008, 06:44 am
How bout i suck that apology out of you?:lol:
really got go babes,will reply to your emails later.
5 Feb 2008, 06:47 am
Fern
No, just more of OOOOOHHHHHH EEEEEEWWWWWWW
5 Feb 2008, 06:49 am
Koos
Gott run … lunch date … Chinsese New Year is a very social time … Okay, that & I kicked off an archive /compact on my email that seems to be culling about 2.5 years worth of sent mail becasue I hit the wrong key
so I may as well “lunch” 
5 Feb 2008, 06:52 am
w w w dot superbru dot com
Search for keo and you should find it or wait a little and superBul will post the code.
5 Feb 2008, 06:54 am
Tot later Princess.
5 Feb 2008, 08:06 am
Come on Gary be fair, you were give the chances to prove that you were the understudy to John Smit and you played kak, look at the Tonga and Connacht games.
Comment by Loosehead : February 4, 2008 @ 4:02 pm
Didnt Bismarck play against Connacht?? Wasnt that the game where he hit that guy?
And didnt GB only come on as replacement against Tonga?
5 Feb 2008, 09:34 am
Skop & crew,
You can say what you wantm JW still won the RWC with John Smit as captain. He instilled belief and confidence in the players.
Tactitus – Nick Mallet lost the world cup with a better squad (man for man) than JW. He came of 17 consecutive tests in a row and should have been a certanty to win the RWC. What happened? He dropped the captain (his view, another player was better) and the team lost self belief and confidence.
I guess that people management is more important.
Finally – to those who are commenting about JS, just listen to what the players say about the Captain. Secondly, all the players backed JW even when the presidents council were trying to undermine him. This shows how strong the unit was. Who created that?
Talk of the Kiwi’s being the best all you want. If you are the bestm you need to win when it counts. I say it again, is it the fault of JW, JS or even SARFU that the Boke did not play either Australia, France or NZ at the RWC 2007?
5 Feb 2008, 09:36 am
Supa Die Blou
Gary is a fine hooker, but was shown up in the Tri Nations when Smit went off injured. Unfortunately, he is nowhere near as influencial as Smittie.
Mealamu rates Smit as the best hooker in the world. He says that the Boks are a totally different pack with him.
Interresting that.
5 Feb 2008, 10:47 am
Ryan
Peter made it clear on TV last night that he will not be meeting with any players.
He will be talking to the players through their coaches.
5 Feb 2008, 18:14 pm
Smitty ,Bismark ……no-one really matches them !!!!!
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