Chris Rattue is usually good for a quote, even though we often disagree with what he is saying. But we are in sync with what he has written this morning about Bakkies Botha, given that he expresses a view disarmingly similar to that which we expressed YESTERDAY! Pure coincidence, of course!!
Anyway, here 'tis:
The best that could be said of Botha is that he admitted to head butting Cowan from behind, on the ground, and apologised. Given the outstanding video evidence against him, there wasn't much else Botha could do but nod, politely this time, in agreement.
Rugby doesn't have a violence problem - it does have a Botha problem though. This pillar of the Springbok pack is a pillock.
Maybe the game simply needs to clean him out, for good, the way Botha does when he charges head first into opponents and rucks.
There might be one worse offender in modern times, the boneheaded English lock Danny Grewcock who habitually mistook the human form for a trampoline.
Botha almost ranks alongside though, with a despicable history of belting, stomping and eye-gouging (or attacking the face as it was put) and allegations of biting.
Botha is also turning into a liability for the Springboks - and should have been sent off in the first minute for his cowardly attack on a prone Cowan - although that is their problem.
The violence is rugby's problem though, and rugby's response is unco-ordinated and unsatisfactory.
A head butt is bad enough. From behind is doubly worse. Nine weeks for that alone is insufficient. With his rap sheet, Botha's career deserved crushing. Basically, he'll only miss the Tri-Nations series.
A bit longer than the usual quote, we know; but Rattue is right on the money with this particular piece.
8 comments:
Jimmy Cowan was pilloried by the press for a bad game.
I wonder if the headbutt from Bakkies had anything to do with it?
Perhaps journalists are incapable of putting 2 + 2 together.
Alex - Cowan strained a stomach muscle, which might explain why he was having some difficulty getting down to the ball early in the second half before he was subbed. I heard Tony Johnson and Andrew Saville on Newstalk ZB, and one of them suggested that a headbutt to the back of Cowan's head would normally mean a good Saturday night in Mataura!
Botha should, of course, waited until Cowan was trapped in a ruck/maul and then attacked him from behind.
THAT is allowed, in fact lauded by many in NZ rugby.
Interesting that you should say that Tinamn, 'cos that's been Botha's modus operandi until now.
When I refereed rugby 20+ years ago, taking out a player without the ball at ruck or maul was called obstruction, and was penalised. Now, it's called "cleaning-out", and it's encouraged!
I recall there was another fellow very much like that about thirty years ago. Same modus operandi. I'm struggling for a name, help me will you?
Ri, Ric, Rich ----------
Ah yes, that's it.
Richard Low?
And this is the game whose ambassadors must tippy-toe around like girlie men and not make any remark which might be construed by squealing feminazis as 'inappropriate.'
In recent times one of the most blatant acts of thuggery, outside of Botha, was the king hit from behind by Jerry Collins when he broke Chris Kack's jaw in either a Super 14 or NPC game. They were AB team mates at the time.
Alex - Cowan may have fallen away during the game but he was streets ahead of his replacement Weepu. The need to take between three and six paces before passing the ball makes Weepu possibly the slowest half back in international rugby.
God forbid he starts on Saturday.
I beg to differ pdm. Yes, Weepu's service is laboured, but his option-taking in the half hour or so he played on Saturday was first-class, and far better than Cowan's. Cowan kicked badly (at least two charge-downs), and his kicks put no pressure on the Saffers, By contrast Weepu concentrated on keeping it tight, and can take credit for calling Read's run for the decisive thrid try.
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