During an illustrious domestic and international career, Bakkies Botha established himself as one of the most physically intimidating rugby players of all time, with the powerful lock often proving to be a nightmare for any opponent.
Botha always declared his love for the rough stuff, with the literal giant of South African rugby featuring in 85 Springbok games during an illustrious career.
His iconic domestic record for the Bulls also saw him appear in over 150 games across all competitions, achieving a variety of other honours: Currie Cup triumph (2002, 2004, 2006, 2009) and Vodacom Cup title (2001).
In addition to all his accolades, Botha was part of the Springboks’ triumphant squads that won the 2007 World Cup, a Tri-Nations trophy and a British & Irish Lions series in 2009.
So who would Bakkies Botha rank as his toughest opponents?
In an extract of the Hard Men of Rugby book by Luke Upton, Botha opened up on his toughest opponents.
Ranking his top three, Botha singled out Welsh warrior Alun Wyn Jones for one.
“I like Alun-Wyn Jones, he’s a good fighter. We had some epic battles down the years and I have a lot of respect for what he’s gone onto achieve,” Botha commented.
“He revelled in it didn’t he. Physically he has to be up there. Let’s just say he was able to keep the tradition going of the hardest of South African second rows.”
The Springbok powerhouse lock also identified Irish great Paul O’Connell, who earned over 100 Test caps and captained the Lions on their 2009 tour of South Africa.
“He’s a world-class player and it’s always great to play against world-class opposition. A phenomenal leader and player. He brought something to a team that’s special.”
Finally, Botha also made mention of All Blacks icon Richie McCaw.
“They (New Zealand) were always the hardest opponents we faced and there was no better player than Richie McCaw that I came up against. My role was clear when playing against them: make the breakdown brutal.
“If McCaw or any of the New Zealand boys had to take a moment to look out for me, then I knew I was winning. When I played them, I always wanted them to know I was coming for them, and the biggest compliment I ever received was from (South Africa coach) Jake White, who said he could see they had fear in their eyes during the game.”
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