Nallet up for Botha battle
Lionel Nallet is ready to exact revenge on Bakkies Botha for an incident between the two in 2005.
The last time the sides met in France – four years ago in Paris – the Tricolores beat the Boks 26-20, but one memory sticks out for the French lock. Nallet took a blow to the sternum from Botha, an incident which has left him ‘delighted’ to meet the Bok enforcer again.
‘My one memory of our battles is when Botha split my breastbone with his knee,’ said Nallet. ‘I do not know if it was intentional. Just before half-time, I dragged a bit out of play in a group, and I was punished.
‘That’s part of rugby. Even today, sometimes I still have some pain coming back. At least it allows me to think of him…’
The French are no angels themselves, and the Boks can expect a physical barrage in front of a hostile Toulouse crowd. Nallet continued the theme set earlier by team-mate Imanol Harinordoquy – who labeled the Boks ‘nasty’ – and Nallet added the Boks’ physicality compared favourably to Australia and New Zealand’s.
‘Let’s say that the fact of wanting to hurt the opponent is a part of their game we know. It’s their game, this is not new. I remember one tour there [in 2005], where we drew the first game. The second, it was something.
‘Be prepared to suffer. It is sometimes brutal, but above all they are very good players.’
Turning his focus to the all-important lineout battle against Botha, Victor Matfield, Ryan Kankowski and Schalk Burger, the former France captain believes the Boks have the greatest lineout in the world, but says they have a plan to counter it.
‘If we make stats on the number of times they bite an opponent at the lineout, it must be the best. And on their throws, they are almost never at fault. It’s a good challenge for us.
‘We know that they rely heavily on Matfield. Considering the configuration of our team, we will put Imanol [Harinordoquy] in front to try to disrupt them. He will try to anticipate, be smart. It will work, to see what they do and also how they counteract us because Matfield will already contest our own balls.’
This will be the first Test under the Marc Lievremont tenure that Nallet has not been made captain when available for selection. Nallet added he wasn’t ‘bitter’ Thierry Dusautoir would lead the side out.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
#50 WakaNathan: howdy waka, long time man.
November 10th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
#49 WakaNathan:
they don’t drink calvados in that region they drink armagnac but otherwise I concur …. that stadium is a den of inquity…. there will be blood…
November 10th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
In personal battles on a rugby field Bakkies will always win … the only one who can beat him is the ref …
November 10th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Isn’t this they guy Barney elbowed?
November 11th, 2009 at 7:44 am
I make no secret of the fact I am not a botha fan. I think he plays the cheap shot too much, the elbow in the face, the knee in the back and clean out of players not involved in a ruck, and not expecting or braced. Give me 2 matfields any day. I wouldnt mind seeing him get a bit.
Having said that every team needs an enforcer, Bakkies would be one of the best if he got the cheap **** out of his game
If either side is not carefull, the game may degenerate into a game of play the man not the ball…
Still wouldnt call the caveman a name in a pub though…it would probably hurt!
November 11th, 2009 at 9:12 am
#10 puff: He did. To the their captain Thion, by the way, and he wasn’t so convinced it was unintentional as he received elbow in his larynx when he was about to make a tackle.
Anyway, Frogs ain’t angels themselves, so I will be massively surprised, if there will not be cards and citings on both sides. Bakkies could be involved yet again (surprise?).
November 11th, 2009 at 9:29 am
#55 muffy: Chabal is all hot air – looks mean but really believe Bakkies will make him his b-i-t-c-h – go the smiling assasin
November 11th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
#55 muffy:
Lets get this straight.
I would pick Bakkies in my team.
But the guy is Mr CheapShot. He has played with elbows, knees and foreheads his whole career. He has got away with 99.9% of his illegalities.
So I rejoice when he gets done, whether he deserves it or not. And I would dearly love him if he was in my team. Kiwis loved Richard Loe too, esp if the Boks were in town.
But I wouldnt whinge on the 0.1% time he gets caught tho.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
#8 Knersboy: Why a 10 hour drive fatboy????