Bakkies blow for SA
Bakkies Botha has failed to recover from a back injury and will be replaced by Andries Bekker for South Africa’s clash with Ireland.
As reported by this website on Wednesday, Botha was always doubtful to feature in the Croke Park Test, and it was confirmed on Friday that he will play no part. The Springbok lock picked up a back injury in the Italy Test which was exacerbated in the flight from Udine to Dublin.
Bekker comes off the bench to replace Botha while scrumhalf Francois Hougaard will now join the replacements. Danie Rossouw, who will start this game at No 8, will cover at lock.
By Jon Cardinelli, in Dublin
November 28th, 2009 at 12:32 am
SSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Andries better step up and put in the game of his life!
too bad it happened so late other wise would have been better i reckon with Danie at lock, Burger on 8 and DP or Deysel on 7…
November 28th, 2009 at 12:33 am
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
We’ve lost the Enforcer dragon. Terrible!
We needed him to counter O’Connell!
But Andries has looked solid in recent weeks. Needs to make the step up in a big game
November 28th, 2009 at 12:37 am
Without Bismark now, we don’t have too many Enforcers. Awful news. The smart move would be to put Danie at lock with Deysel at 8. We can’t afford to have our locks sitting on the wing like Bekker LOVES to do. The only thing that would make this worse is if KANKOWSKI was also playing.
Either way this is not our best pack. Spies, Juan, Botha, Bismarck… totally different to the TN.
November 28th, 2009 at 12:45 am
We need Schalkie to get involved in a serious way and take on the role of the enforcer, with help from Danie.
November 28th, 2009 at 12:59 am
great opportunity for bekker.bakkies in all honesty wasn’t playing his best rugby these last few weeks and in any case is a waliking yellow card so the boks won’t need to worry about that.bekker is the new superstar.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:08 am
@Valkyrie:
Oh yes, he is the new Bryan Habana. What a superstar.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:16 am
@Kobus Kitty: good riddance to blue bull bakkies botha trash,yes sir.hail the real new superstar andries bekker not a ****** grim reaper like that blue bull ****.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:24 am
@Valkyrie: Go to bed. You’re not thinking clearly…
November 28th, 2009 at 1:28 am
@Valkyrie:
Botha is a machine, a work horse and he hits the ruck harder than anyone in world rugby. Ask Adam Jones. He is the backbone of the Boks forward pack.
Bekker on the other hand is a glory boy who stands out in the backline and on the rare occasion when he does hit the ruck, he’s ineffective. He doesn’t have the skill, strength or experience Botha has.
Hopefully he gets an injury and goes off within the first 10 minutes, so we can have Deysel on and Danie at lock.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:29 am
the bok team is slowly but surely turning white and blue hoops again and the process will be completed just after 2011.good rddance to the blue bull trash rugby will be long overdue by then.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:31 am
@Kobus Kitty: you are an absolute disgrace wishing injury on a fellow saffa.sies man!
November 28th, 2009 at 1:37 am
@Valkyrie:
Oh shame, she’s a WP supporter.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:37 am
@Kobus Kitty: bekker is a better quality rugby player and human being than bakkies botha.he will be the greatest and you better get used to that fact.he will be the supreme athlete,the king of locks.all future superstars will be dressed in white and blue hoops and bekker will be leading the way.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:40 am
@Valkyrie:
How is he a better quality rugby player than Botha? Explain why, don’t just state things. I don’t care what type of human being Botha is outside of rugby, he is one of the two worlds best locks.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:41 am
@Kobus Kitty: you gonna talk about 2009 the way the english football fans talk about 1966.enjoy the last few weeks of 2009!
November 28th, 2009 at 1:42 am
@Valkyrie:
He may be a better Himan being however he is not a beter enforcer type lock
This is a big loss. Bekker and Victor are similar type players.
Also as a WP supporter I dont rate Bekker as a great lock
He does not put in the same work load as Bakkies at all.
I would have moved Danie to Lock if we had spies, instead of Bekker
But thats it.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:43 am
human sorry
November 28th, 2009 at 1:43 am
@Kobus Kitty:
I have to agree 100 %
November 28th, 2009 at 1:48 am
i’d like to see some stats regarding bekker’s supposed low work rate. he was one of the most productive tight forwards in the s14
November 28th, 2009 at 1:50 am
@CoachPete: ‘better enforcer’…ffs we are playing rugby not busy with mafia wars!bekker don’t need that **** associated with botha to show the world he can play great rugby.we won’t be missing botha today.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:51 am
Let hope smitty explains to bekker he is not at newlands where the ball does get to the wings sometimes.
Bekker is going to have to play much tighter, and more agressive.
If things dont work with bekker then I can see maybe a switch for Danie going to lock and Dysel at 8
One plus Bekker is more used to wet blustey newlands so could help
November 28th, 2009 at 1:55 am
@Valkyrie:
I just happen to disagree. I ice hockey you have an enforcer and rugby too
I love Bakiies agressive play.
I dont care what you or others say about his approach to the game. This is not tiddly winks.
South African play their rugby aggressivly.
Bekker is no Bakkies Full stop.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:55 am
@ali: totally agree with you.bekker was always involved in the game for the right reasons and his great work-rate impressed me mightily this year.
November 28th, 2009 at 1:59 am
@ali:
I Dont agree
if he does not get injured,he is not providing the same work rate as bakkies
There are no stats kept for locks work rate, except the results when bakkies is on the field
Bakkies is huge in rucks and mauls and collision areas.
Anyway I respect people who disagree but its my opinion
November 28th, 2009 at 2:03 am
@CoachPete: you are right,bekker is no bakkies because he don’t need to be a thug to force his will on the oppsition.his greater rugby ability is all that’s needed to subdue the opposition instead of maiming them.bakkies got side-tracked with all these enforcer **** and forgot how to play rugby.hopefully the beating that he took from the french will give him a new pespective on rugby.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:06 am
@Valkyrie:
We will just have to disagree.
I was also talking about his rugby playing ability
He plays on the edge and yes has a bit of a reputation, but
your talk of thuggery aside, he is still a better lock than Bekker
November 28th, 2009 at 2:07 am
@Valkyrie:
Its the same reason why I like Bismark Dup
November 28th, 2009 at 2:09 am
@Valkyrie:
Which team do you support???
November 28th, 2009 at 2:11 am
@CoachPete: you are right coach,we will just have to disagree on this one.in any case speedy recovery to bakkies.bekker will be the man today!
November 28th, 2009 at 2:14 am
@CoachPete: wp/stormers and sometime i am a bit one-eyed when it comes to wp players i know.will try to change next season.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:15 am
@Valkyrie:
Yes we will have to.
I hope Bekker steps up. Here is his opportunity.
There is no doubt in my mind he needs to move away from the loose (on the wing ) style play and get very invloved at the collisions and rucks and mauls.
I really hope so.
If not we have a problem, especially with Bismark on the bench.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:17 am
@Valkyrie:
I am a huge WP and Stormer fan Ask the nite owls on keo, but my support for Boks comes first
November 28th, 2009 at 2:18 am
Howzit Coach,
Imo it is not fair to compare Bekker to Bakkies.
Bekker is more of the Matfield type, he will probably take over from Victor before the next world cup.
As far as the Irish match is concerned:
Bekker offers more than Bakkies in the lineouts as well as in general play.
Bakkies is only better as an enforcer (hitting the rucks a bit harder etc), but as the French has shown, he is only human in that aspect as well.
Andries will just be OK, no worries.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:21 am
@Valkyrie: unlike bekker ,bakkies is a true lock and with mafield and bekker in the team then theres no one to clean out in the rucks as matfield likes playing 3rd center and bekker things he’s a right winger big blow for boks . needed roussow to got to lock , deysel at 8 schalla 7 and brussow 6
November 28th, 2009 at 2:21 am
@CoachPete: same here coach.always support the boks first and bakkies whenever he plays but i am not a big fan of his playing style.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:23 am
@Robzim:
He he
Hi Rob
Yes we generally agree.
I feel here Bakkies is a better lock
And I mentioned earlier as well Bekker and Victor are similar, thats why we need a Bakkies type lock to compliment Victor.
Also remember Bismark is on the bench.
I have watched Bekker play he is too loose. his linout work obviously is great. His runs on the wing are also good.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:24 am
@mbaxman93:
Thank you. we agree
November 28th, 2009 at 2:25 am
@mbaxman93: this matfield as a centre and bekker as a wing is getting a bit tiresome mate and a bit of a joke in my opinion.you will be second person this morning that i will have to disagree with.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:26 am
@Valkyrie:
Yes and our style has always been agressive. You take that away and we will start looking and playing like the poms
God forbid
November 28th, 2009 at 2:29 am
@Valkyrie:
Yeah its a joke but you have to laugh.
I can see the long skip pass from Victor at center skipping WO and JF strainght to bekker.
Come mate, You can picture that.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:30 am
@Valkyrie: Bekker should first focus on being a lock and not a centre/wing before he can be a great, he has the potencial but plays out of position but he has got better the last couple of games.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:31 am
i had canned spaghetti with tomato sauce on toast for dinner tonight, it was quite nice.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:31 am
@mbaxman93: matfield won a world cup and now i find out he loves playing centre although not much running rugby was played in that final.life is getting stranger by the hour.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:33 am
@CoachPete:
The team should be fine for tomorrow.
We should dominate the lineouts (2 best jumpers in world rugby)
In the scrums we should at least get parity.
In the loose it should be 50/50 (Ferris and Heaslip are great players, but we have the best fetcher)
As far as tactical kicking is concerned we should also come up tops (they have a rookie flyhalf and we have du Preez)
Our bench is also much better.
Boks by 6-9?
November 28th, 2009 at 2:34 am
@CoachPete: lol.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:35 am
i think i will have eggs of some variety for breakfast. was thinking of scrambled, but saturday is really more of a fried eggs day if you ask me.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:36 am
@Robzim:
I hope so.
Yes front row I think we are better
Locks in lineouts yes huge advantage.
Loose trio, even.
Half backs yes Fdp huge there.
Backs even. Irish have a better full back.
Weather wind will be factor which makes things closer
Boks by 3 or so?
November 28th, 2009 at 2:39 am
@Valkyrie:
See you see it too, and laugh
November 28th, 2009 at 2:41 am
@JA-JA: jeez,now we even adding the centre position to his rugby abilities!anybody else out there that wants to add another position?i bet before the night is over bekker will be playing in all 15 positions on the rugby field…a real superstar/superman indeed!
November 28th, 2009 at 2:42 am
@Robzim:
You know Irsih are going to give up their fair share of penalties, so Steyn needs to be hot.
Could be about kicks at goal really