Hot Seat ‘Being feared is nice’
| Bakkies Botha talks rugby and blowing kisses to opponents
One player recently said if you want to beat Toulon you must take out Botha. Is it a mark of respect? Definitely! I’ve been nicknamed the Enforcer, and that’s the role I love to play. You need to earn respect on the field, that’s what rugby is all about. Being feared is nice, but you need to keep focused. It’s awesome to still play the type of game I like to play at 36 years old. Have you ever seen that fear in your opponent’s eyes? A lot of times.
I will not mention names. It’s nice to know you can dominate the game. It’s the type of game I love to play. But it’s a lot of stress on the body. Sometimes I want to do more, but my body can’t. I struggle to get through a week’s training. That’s a sign that enough is enough. Have you ever experienced fear on the pitch in 16 years? Not once. That’s just who I am. I’m always keen for a challenge, to go out, do what I do best, the physical side of the game, and play my heart out.
I believe God gave me that talent. If I ever felt fear it’s not about pain but about failure of not being at the top of my game. You put a lot of effort into getting back into the Springbok team in 2013. Why did you decide to retire last November? I didn’t end my international career on my terms after the last World Cup. I had injured my Achilles and I was out for four months. I arrived at Toulon unhappy. I wanted to work myself up again to play at international level.
I needed to earn the respect of the club and the supporters, to show them I had come to play, not to have nice holidays. Since I’ve come here Toulon has been to all the finals in every competition we have been part of. I won nice trophies and I played for the Springboks.
The day I decided to end my international career I knew in my heart I was still good enough to play for the Boks. I made my decision and I am at
THE ENFORCER: Former Boks lock Bakkies Botha shows his physical side against an All Blacks player
peace with it. Playing the World Cup in England was never part of your plan then?
No, that wasn’t my motivation. I just wanted to end international rugby on my terms. Among the young locks coming up this season, PieterSteph du Toit and Eben Etzebeth are phenomenal players. Du Toit still has a lot to learn, but the work he puts in is amazing. He is a world-class player. The young locks can bring something special to the Springboks. To be a good lock you have to be tough, never show you’re hurt. Do you need to be a good actor then?
I don’t think so. What you see is what you get. I see a lot of players acting on the pitch these days. There is no room for that in rugby.
When you get a big hit you must take it. You give some and you get some. It has been my approach my whole career: I love to give, and when I get something back, I must love it too and show it with a kiss or a smile. Humour can be an effective weapon on a pitch; can you tell us about the Mike Phillips episode? It was the [British and Irish] Lions tour, the atmosphere was electrifying. Ten minutes into the first half of the first test in Pretoria. The guys are flying into the rucks to set a tone for physicality. Pierre Spies, Victor Matfield and I clean the ruck.
Mike Phillips is quite the cocky scrumhalf. So we were in the ruck, and Phillips was shaking his head, and he said to my face: “Are you guys on steroids?” I thought: “I am going to hit him with a nice one back.”
Then I saw his eyes, and said: “You’ve got beautiful eyes.” Phillips was speechless. Pierre and Victor were grinning. I turned around and walked off. It got more under his skin than anything he ever told us.
It is one of those moments I will always remember. What about your habit of blowing kisses to your opponents? It began when I came to France. When you think about the country, you think about Paris and everything romantic. So I thought I might bring some passion and romanticism to the pitch. One day, a player was so angry, I thought: “He’s going to lose it. I must do something so this guy can actually relax.” So I blew him a kiss. Now it’s my trademark.
I like to make a joke. Once at home, sitting with my wife on the sofa, I told her: “It’s amazing, one guy asked me if I slap my wife and kick my kids.” I am an aggressive and robust player, so people have a misconception of who I am off the pitch.
When people ask my wife about me as a private person, she laughs because at the end of the day my wife is the boss at home.