From the Herald website:
South African lock Bakkies Botha has been suspended for nine weeks for head-butting New Zealand halfback Jimmy Cowan in last night's Tri-Nations rugby test at Auckland.
It means Botha will miss the remainder of defending champion South Africa's Tri-Nations programme.
The punishment was handed down by Sanzar judicial officer Dennis Wheelahan in Auckland today after Botha was cited for striking with the head, following a tackle on Cowan in the opening minute of the test which the All Blacks went on to win 32-12.
The incident was missed by Irish referee Alan Lewis but Botha was later sinbinned for a professional foul and New Zealand scoring a try during his 10-minute absence.
Wheelahan said Botha admitted the charge, expressed remorse and had apologised to Cowan.
Wheelahan said he deemed the offence to be in the middle range of seriousness, but he also took into account Botha's record for previous offending.
Good. It's about time that some meaningful sentences were handed down for wanton acts of foul play. Likewise, it is pleasing to see that a serial offender like Botha is being dealt to on the basis of his serial offending. As we blogged back in May, Botha knows the way to the judicial room better than most.
We wonder whether this is the end of the road for Bakkies Botha. He will now miss the remainder of the Tri-Nations, and rightly so. Peter de Villiers might now be reconsidering his unconditional support for Botha last season when Die Bokke wore black armbands in solidarity with the suspended lock. He is a liability to his team-mates if he cannot control the red mist that descends once he takes the field.
And if you're wondering what all the fuss is about, here's the incident:
3 comments:
IMHO the Commissioner has handed de Villiers a get out of jail free card, By the end of the tri-nations the Saffers will have a more effective talent there and probably a couple of backups to boot,
His time is well past the used by date.
Perhaps Gravedodger, but there are several others in the Saffer team capable of thuggery, including Schalk Burger and Victor Matfield.
But the big issue for the Boks is the breaking-up of the combination between Matfield and Botha, especially at scrum-time. Botha is a hugely imporatnt part of the Saffer scrum, just as Brad Thorn is for us. Andries Bekker might be huge, but he doen't deliver the grunt that Botha does.
The next most likely SA player to visit the judiciary is Butch James - even yesterday he was a candidate in the short time he was on the paddock.
Don't forget we have had a few in our time Jerry Collins for one and Nonu still has times when he reverts to thuggery.
Still Botha is the biggest thug going round for the last few years.
Post a Comment