Botha got justice, now the IRB must punish the SARU
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British Lions' Mike Phillips, right, clears the ball as South Africa's Bakkies Botha, left, looks on during their international rugby union match at King's Park, Durban, South Africa, Saturday, June 20, 2009. AP Images
The decision of the Springboks to wear ‘Justice4Bakkies’ armbands was unprecedented, bizarre, Orwellian, and misguided. The IRB have finally decided to do something about the decision which it (correctly) states is a clear disregard of its disciplinary process and a matter that brings the game into disrepute.
I call the decision Orwellian because Bakkies Botha has been a serial offender on the rugby field who has too often got away with his thuggery.
To claim that it is unjust that he receives a two-week suspension for dislocating the shoulder of an opponent with an illegal charge distorts truth in a manner that Big Brother in 1984 would be proud of.
When I wrote about this for the Sydney Morning Herald, I received dozens of emails from irate South Africans, most of them living in Australia, taking the same line as the Springboks – that a grave injustice had been inflicted on Botha and that the Springboks were right to make their protest the way they did.
The argument most of them made was that it is common practice for players to clear out rucks with shoulder charges. The British and Irish Lions, the Rugby Club, and sundry other rugby people and institutions, they claimed also, all said there was nothing untoward about Botha’s action.
One correspondent even told me that Botha is a gentle man off the field.
I replied that so was Richard Loe but “try telling that to Paul Carozza’s nose.” Try telling the dislocated shoulder of Adam Jones, which required surgery to fix up, that off the field Botha is fine chap.
The fact of the matter is that you are not allowed to shoulder charge opposing players standing as pillars beside the ruck/maul, and if you charge into a ruck/maul you have to be bound with another player.
It is true that these laws are often not policed as thoroughly as they should be and players get away with these charges, as Botha has for years.
But what made this particular play actionable was the fact that an opponent was badly injured.
The injury raises the claim of reckless play, and reckless play which causes a significant injury invariably gets punished (or should be) with a suspension.
Think about this in terms of going through a red light.
Most times people go through red lights safely and nothing happens to them. But if you run into another car or a pedestrian while running a red light, you are in trouble.
In rugby terms, Botha ran a red light and hit someone. Hence he correctly got into trouble with a suspension.
For the Springboks to call his two-week suspension an injustice and to wear armbands calling for ‘Justice4Bakkies’ is misguided. It is also arrogant. It suggests that the Springboks believe that they are above the laws and processes of the game.
One South African supporter made the point that Botha isn’t the only hit man in international rugby. He cited Paul O’Connell, Simon Shaw, Phil Vickery, Justin Harrison, Brad Thorn, Stephen Moore and James Horwill. He did not mention Butch James, who should join any hitman list, too.
I wouldn’t go to bat for Justin Harrison, but the other players on the list, while being guilty from time to time of thuggish play (Simon Shaw should have got more than two weeks suspension for his crass kneeing of Fourie du Preez), do not constantly indulge in foul play the way Botha and Schalk Burger do.
In the Herald I wrote this: “Burger and Botha play the part of the hit men of the Springboks pack, the enforcers. They launch themselves, illegally like missiles into rucks and mauls. They constantly provoke opponents off the ball. They are persistent offenders in the rucks and mauls. Burger going off his feet to kill the ball and Botha coming in from the side and invariably lying on the opponents’ side of the ruck. They tackle around the head constantly.”
With this sort of history, it boggles the mind to think that the Springboks even entertained the idea of protesting the justice of the two-week suspension of Botha.
The hypocrisy in the call for justice is that it totally disregarded the real injustice done to Luke Fitzgerald with the risible eight-week suspension handed out to Burger for recklessly attacking his eyes.
In my view, and I’m sure that of others looking at the incident without bias, Burger was intentional as well as reckless in his attack on the eyes of Fitzgerald.
His fingers seemed to be gouging for a long time, and he did some damage to the eyes of Fitzgerald. As I posted earlier, Burger should have received a six-month suspension, at least.
No player or union is bigger than the game.
The IRB needs to send a strong message by way of a significant punishment to the South African rugby community that unrestrained and illegal might is not right.
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Knives Out said | July 8th 2009 @ 1:58am | Report comment
I recall the Springboks wearing Mr. Mandela’s prisoner number on their sleeve, and now we have the Springboks wearing a pro-Botha armband. There is a certain irony to that.
The whole issue revolves around the Springbok ego. Mr. Zavos made this statement in his column, ‘the arrogance and obsessive belief in the divine right of the Springboks to get their way on and off the field’ which I thought was quite an accurate analysis of the Springbok psychology. I have always juxtaposed the SA rugby attitude with the American notion of manifest destiny.
This Lions tour was an opportunity for SA rugby to prove its’ doubters wrong. Instead we have a series victory overshadowed by some worryingly ordinary performances, low attendance figures, an offensive head coach, a leading player involved in a serious incident of foul play and now a shockingly juvenile display of team support. It is now wonder that the Lions have been said to have won the hearts and minds of the rugby public.
Greg Smith said | July 8th 2009 @ 2:24am | Report comment
As eternal international pariah’s, South Africans merely feel they’re bending under heavy persecution in an unjust world.
Punish the Boks and they’ll be hailed as martyrs. If the IRB want to add ammo to the South African cause, they should punish South Africa as Spiro suggests.
Because I’m thinking South Africa might throw the 3N to put their own coach in the firing line, I hope the IRB will save this persecution device for closer to the 2011 RWC.
I recall South Africa’s 2007 RWC was kickstarted by the IRB clumsily manhandling them with a number of citings.
Spot the pattern ?
pothale said | July 8th 2009 @ 3:12am | Report comment
One query. I thought the armband read: Justice 4 All.
The 4 was a reference to Bakkies shirt number.
One could choose to take this ‘call to arms’ literally (no pun intended) and seek justice for the Burger punishment, the Shaw punishment as well as the Botha one. The IRB could choose to revisit the rulings in all three cases.
Wonder what the outcome might be?
jools-usa said | July 8th 2009 @ 3:47am | Report comment
A yellow is not enough for blatant hits, a la Boitha, Shaw, where not one teammate is anywhere near
to bind on?
Should be Red card – imagine what teammates think then as 14 guys struggle.
Use the Assist Ref for the witness.
Jools-USA
Photon said | July 8th 2009 @ 4:25am | Report comment
Spiro, all the great rugby sides have a enforcer, thug or whatever else you guys wanna call him. Furthermore this nitpicking where you say so and so (almost always a new zealander or a aussie) is only occasionally dirty is just bull caus at the end of the day either you’re an enforcer or you aren’t and Justin Harrison was right up there. But obviously you love why caus him caus he’s Australasian. The description you give of bakkies hs perfect, intimidation is the name of the game, if you had ever played in a tight five you’d know that. Pummel just one member of the opposition make em understand lying on the wrong side equals pain and watch the possession flow all afternoon. Bakkies is the sort of lock every pack wishes they had and at the same time they hate playing against. The opposition fans hate him and the bok fans love him. As for this weekend we deserve to be fined and I accept that, I just wish people would look past their biases and give credit where it’s due. Ah well maybe once he retires they will
Kevin, Meath said | July 8th 2009 @ 4:39am | Report comment
I wrote in a comment about an earlier article that I thought wearing the armbands was pathetic, the Iranian team wore them in protest about people being shot in the street, I remember the Welsh team a couple of years ago wearing them because the 2nd rows baby son had died and to highlight his charity, fair enough. To wear one where the player gets a very short ban for a challange that may or may not be illegal, a player who is not exactly a saint , swings and roundabouts springs to mind. If the Bokkes are so keen on justice I assume they will also ask for Burgers ban to be extended after all the min set by the IRB is 12weeks.
Nelson said | July 8th 2009 @ 4:45am | Report comment
“It is true that these laws are often not policed as thoroughly as they should be and players get away with these charges, as Botha has for years.”
understatement of the decade. when was the last time you actually saw someone bind at a ruck? it never happens and hasn’t for almost 10 years now.
the issue here is the complete and utter lawlessness of the breakdown in rugby which still hasn’t been resolved and the lawmakers continue to avoid the issue.
in addition to the vagueness around holding onto possesion, whether a defensive player can contest with hands etc at there is signficant ambiguity round the rules of engagement at the ruck, unlike the line of scrimmage in american fotball, for exmaple which is heavily policed.
by all means botha offended but it happens in every single ruck in every single match you will see.
Darryl SA said | July 8th 2009 @ 5:16am | Report comment
“In my view, and I’m sure that of others looking at the incident without bias, Burger was intentional as well as reckless in his attack on the eyes of Fitzgerald.”
Haha, Spiro, that comment is just so funny. For some reason it brings to mind a schoolyard joke to do with “shooting your neighbours cat and asking for the pellet back.” You are the last person on this forum that could claim to be “without bias” when it comes to matters concerning South Africa. At least others on this forum wear their colours for all to see. Don’t be so shy. Just wear yours out in the open where we all can see them without pretending to be an objective source. You are anything but.
Anyway, nice teeing up for the Tri Nations. Good move. The more you harp on about this, the more everybody will be watching SA like hawks so your angelic Wallabies can fall on the wrong side of the tackle, use hands in the ruck, enter the ruck from the side and nobody will notice cos they’ll all be watching Bakkies and Burger to see if they so much as muss the hair of any Australian player. It’s sad cos I used to really enjoy your articles when I first started reading them on Rugby Heaven, but your bias has just become more and more obvious, and the only crime in that is that at the same time you claim not to be. Pffft.
RickG said | July 8th 2009 @ 8:30am | Report comment
Your surname wouldn’t be Cullininan would it Dazza? Pffft indeed.
van der Merwe said | July 8th 2009 @ 8:49am | Report comment
I fail to see any “justice” in a suspension for a clean out/attempted counter ruck. Especially considering that we see something like this in virtually every match.