Over a rocket and walnut salad and a glass of very lightly wooded chardonnay, Dan Nicholl catches up 'exclusively' with Springbok lock forward Bakkies Botha...

Dan: Congratulations Bakkies — fabulous win last week...

Bakkies: Yes Dan, it was a very special occasion, one I'll never forget. But it was slightly bittersweet. Rugby's all they've got in New Zealand — reminds me of playing in Brakpan or Springs, when you see the locals, desperate for a victory. Your visit is the highlight of your year, and means everything to them. There were some devastated faces in the crowd afterwards. But we beat the All Blacks in New Zealand, and that's something I'll always cherish.

Dan: There must have been quite a celebration afterwards?

Bakkies: We were pretty relaxed, to be honest. There's still a long way to go this season. And Gürthro, Gary Gold and I were back at the hotel earliest — ten different guys tried to buy him a drink. Apparently he's a dead ringer for Miss New Zealand, so we left the bar we were at pretty early. And Gary had an early hair appointment to get to, so certainly quiet night for the three of us.

Dan: Pieter de Villiers is obviously making quite an impression?

Bakkies: Definitely. He's very different to Jake. Jake was lots of hugs, lots of bonding, reading from Deepak Chopra and the Dalai Lama, which was great, and obviously worked, but sometimes went over the heads of some of the forwards. Pieter's very blue collar, wears his heart on his sleeve, and is just incredibly passionate. He's not always the easiest person to understand, mind you.

Dan: His press conferences and interviews do come across as slightly unique...

Bakkies: Pieter does have his linguistic nuances, doesn't he... It's extremely entertaining watching foreign journalists trying to understand him. And yes, to be honest, the rest of us don't always know what he's going on about, but Ricky translates the bits we don't get. I think it's the Magnum PI moustache getting in the way; but even if he does speak his own language, he's a hell of a coach.

Dan: Now you're in Perth — almost a home game for you with the number of South Africans who live here?

Bakkies: Dan, Tuesday was one of the saddest days of my life. We were doing a signing session in Fremantle, and family after family arrived, all South Africans who're living here now. The parents say hello, and they introduce the young kids — and the poor little things have Australian accents. Honestly, it's heartbreaking. To take a pure East Rand or Free State brogue, and replace it with that convict growl... I just don't know how a parent could do that to the child. I've written to the United Nations about it — it's criminal, plain and simple.

Dan: Also criminal, according to Sepp Blatter, is holding players to contract. He called Cristiano Ronaldo's case slavery — how do you feel, given your own contract dispute?

Bakkies: Cristiano and I have been in touch a couple of times; I guess he's to football what I am to rugby, pin-ups of the game who live on the front pages. He wants Madrid, I want France. So slavery's not a bad analogy — yes, we earn a little more money than some other people, perhaps, but it's the metaphor you have to understand. Contractual chains around our professional integrity and personal liberty — Cristiano sent me a copy of Alex Hailey's 'Roots' that Rio Ferdinand had lent him, with a note saying "This is us today". He couldn't have been more spot on.

Dan: France is still on the horizon then — first, though, a Tri-Nations to finish off?

Bakkies: Gürthro and I went to see an old black and white French film on Monday, just after we got here — we took Big Joe as well, but he left after no one had taken clothes off in the first ten minutes. It just reminded both of us of our cultural and spiritual home. But I want to leave as a Tri-Nations winner, and I'm determined to make that happen.

Dan: Starting this weekend in Perth?

Bakkies: Starting this weekend in Perth. Afrikaans has been ringing through the streets, the support has been incredible, and we're all on a high. There was a mild bump when the cops caught Brian and Beast removing petrol from vehicles in the hotel car park, but it's part of the Zimbabwean culture, so they were let off. Now we're just focusing on the game, and heading home with two wins. And I can't wait to hear Pieter's post-match interview if we win this one as well.

  • Contact Dan at dan@metropolis.co.za

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