Springbok lock Bakkies Botha has expressed remorse after being suspended for nine weeks for an incident of foul play in the Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand in Auckland at the weekend.
Botha appeared before a Sanzar Judicial hearing in Auckland on Sunday, after being cited for striking All Black scrumhalf Jimmy Cowan with the head following a tackle in the opening minute of the Test match.
Botha said he was devastated but accepted he had acted outside the Laws of the Game, following his lengthy suspension,
“I sincerely regret the incident,” Botha said.
“I have let my team, my country and family down and I have done an injustice to the Springbok jersey and what is stands for.
“I apologise to Jimmy Cowan and the New Zealand rugby public for what happened. Rugby is a physical sport but it has to be played within the boundaries and spirit of the law.
“I truly regret my actions and will make sure I put the extended time away from the game to positive use and return to playing with the right attitude”.
SARU’s Manager of National Teams, Andy Marinos, expressed the organisation’s disappointment.
“SARU views any incident of foul play in a very serious light,” Marinos said.
“Bakkies remains an important player in the Springbok team and I have discussed with him the extent of his actions and the implications it could have on the team, himself personally and his family,” Marinos added.
Botha has been suspended from all rugby up to and including September 4 and will return to South Africa on Monday.
This article is courtesy of rugby365.com
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Idiot.
@robdylan (Comment 1) :
+ 1000
Before the end of next years S15, he will get suspended again. Twat!
Right now Roussouw deserves the no4 jersey more anyways.
What an idiot, he deserved a harsher ban.
Hopefully the Boks can pull their heads out of their *sses for the next game and try to play.
Thug 👿
@lostfish (Comment 5) :
I think they will be up for the next one!!
According to reports Wynand has done enough to retain the no 12 jersey!! 🙄
Bakkies must be multi millionaire….he obviously doesn’t need the R 70 000 per match match fee that he would have received. Bloody stupid idiot.
I think Jannie, Kankow and Beast are surplus to requirements over there . . . they should be sent back to us!!
@wpw (Comment 7) : One things for sure JDV won’t be on the wing !
Not a good weekend if you’re a Bok, Sharks and Dutch supporter… I was all three 😥
@Original Pierre (Comment 9) : Jannie will be lucky to be able to walk after the weekend ! 😉
@CS (Comment 11) : Between them they received more Yellow cards than most teams accummulate in a season !
@CS (Comment 11) : I at least had two outa three – Bulle
and Spain 
Darn Bokke, though, marred what should’ve been a good sporting week-end 😡
@wpw (Comment 7) : I don’t know where they got that info from – JdV deserves the 12 jersey ahead of meisiekind
@Pokkel (Comment 8) :
It is actually 75K per game!! 🙄
Ek sé maar net… 😉
@diablo (Comment 14) :
I had 2 out of 3:
Spain
WP
@CS (Comment 11) : You are not alone… 😥
@lostfish (Comment 15) :
Heard it on Capetalk this morning… it is based on the first training session in Wellington!! 😕
@wpw (Comment 19) : Olivier was not all that bad….for all the bad press Nonu get in the SA Press he is a real handful.
I sure there are plenty of others in the firing line before him !
@Hertford Highlander (Comment 12) : Your wish has just become true….Jannie apparently out of the next test with a calf strain
Disgrace to the Bok emblem. He shouldn’t be allowed to wear the green and gold ever again. 👿
I thought JDV was actually very poor on the wing… kept trying to get desperate intercepts instead of marking the outside man!
Roussouw also seemed to be running around like a headless chicken when he came on… kept on getting in the backlines way… came close to obstruction a couple of times!
I think we really REALLY missed Fouries DuPreez on Saturday… he would’ve brought a good kicking game and a clear head to the proceedings.
@wpw (Comment 19) : So it could be more of the same for the next game 🙁
@CS (Comment 25) : I agree… Fourie was sorely missed. He is the biggest reason why the Boks have been so succesful the last few years.
As for Bakkies… you my friend are a chop. Your actions, even thou you were’nt sent off for it was a major reason for us losing the match. You have become a liability and are no longer an asset. Jimmy Cowen played you to perfection. He could not stop smiling after seeing the replay… A plan well executed. And don’t even come with that “I’m sorry” story. How many more times will the team have to pay for your mistakes?!?!?!?!?!?
Bakkies is a chop of the highest order. We dam lucky we have some one like Danie lurking and in form.
Disappointing game alround. Flo was nowhere. Be interesting to see how he features next week. Kirchner earned a reprieve. He wasn’t to bad. But i suspect that was his A game.
As to Wynand Olivier – goo dhelp us all if Div selects him again, especially as it forces Jean De Villiers on to the wing and he sure as shit cannot play there.
@lostfish (Comment 15) : I agree 100% !!
Once a [email protected]@S always a [email protected]@S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No. not me. 🙂
“I sincerely regret the incident,” Botha said.
LIAR!!!! You regret that it was caught on camera, that’s all.
This guy has now finally ruined his career. any ruck clean out from him in the future will be treated with suspicion by the refs.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 30) :
What is a DaaS?? 😈 😆
It’s a D–S with the “-” inflated. 😆
He was a legend, now like a fat, tired, old heavyweight boxer trying to make a comeback on reputation alone (see Mike Tyson)… Very sad, he is not the Cindarella Man – just give up, or… alternatively prove us all wrong and become a hero – but what can he offer that Danie cannot, so the new bench can include Deysel, who plays harder than anyone pyhsically, he can be an enforcer… And his height difference is not much different to Danie Rossouw, so what is stopping him from being a Bok utility forward… Oh yes I forgot, the SA selectors who play scrumhalves at fullback… 😥
@KSA Shark © (Comment 33) : I think you need to be clearer, you are speaking to Wes remember 😉
I just cant believe Bakkies has so little respect for his team mates that he’d do something that should get him sent off in the third minute of the game against the ABs.
There’s at least a 50/50 chance of getting a red for something like that and he’s prepared to let the other 14 shoulder this for almost the entire game? Shows absolutely no respect for his team mates.
Basically he’s just a dumb plank
@robdylan (Comment 37) :
Lol. Agreed… and to be fair… he is a Natalian is he not? *insert fishing smiley*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO12nItzYdw
If you haven’t seen it.
This guy is a plonker of note. 👿
@VinChainSaw (Comment 36) : hey schalk felt up luke fitzgerald’s face in the first few minutes of the match against the british & irish lions, they also scored 10 points on us while he was out.
Good to see you defending your fellow KZN supporters. 😉
IMHO: Bakkies should be taken out of International rugby now. He has proven that he can not learn from his lessons – he got nailed for exactly the same thing a little while ago against Aplon. He is wasting some up and coming young locks time. They can be bled and schooled now for the WC with Victoria, but no, Div prefers to waste someone else chances by selecting him. Someone who might actually grab the opportuinity with both hands. And there are quite a few out there at present who can do the job well.
I have had more than enough of him. And these people saying that it was big of him and we all make mistakes…not everyone is a rolemodel and earn the bucks he does, surely that is enough reason for him to behave. If he was provoked, so what?? Do we all just turn around and headbutt people who provoke us?? I don’t think so! And Div defending him pees me off even more- he is almost saying that its acceptable?? I am highly dissapointed.
Thanks…that’s all..
Everyone seems to be sorry now . . Bakkies for showing his true bulls colours, Div for not seeing this coming, Jimmy Cowan for getting in his way but mostly the fans who saw this coming a mile away but as usual nobody listened to us . . .
@Megatron (Comment 40) :
Yeah that was equally disgusting… the difference is Schalk seems to have learnt his lesson. How many times has this happened to Bakkie over the last 2 seasons? I think this is the third ban since 2009? Simply unacceptable for somebody wearing the Green n Gold.