Thursday, 22nd February 2007 at 3:49 pm

Bakkies is back - hide the children

One was never really sure what was more disturbing: Bakkies Botha biting a player during a game, or Bakkies Botha biting an Australian, thus risking any number of infections and diseases. Still, Bakkies survived (as one always knew he would, I suppose), and has established himself as the marauding hardman of Bulls and Springbok rugby, never averse to making a physical point when stuck in a ruck or maul with a couple of opponents.

But while you’d probably have the odd reservation if he arrived on your doorstep to take your daughter out to dinner, the Bulls lock forward is a very effective player, and the Bulls have missed his partnership with Victor Matfield in the tight five. Cue cries of joy (in between renditions of ‘De la Rey’) across Pretoria, with Bakkies confirmed in the Bulls squad for this weekend’s Super 14 game against the Chiefs.

With last week’s home loss to the Force having put the Bulls on the back foot slightly, there’s a little pressure hovering over Loftus, particularly with the away leg starting next week. Feverpitcher caught up with Pedrie Wannenberg on Thursday morning, who insisted that last weekend’s decision to forsake three points (which would have given them a tie) and go for the try instead, was the right one.

“We play to win, not to draw, and seven times out ten we would have scored from there,” Wannenberg insisted; this was one of the three that they didn’t, and the 30-27 defeat means Saturday is must-win. “We’re still confident, and we still believe we can make the semifinals,” Wannenberg claimed; defeating the Chiefs will back up that claim, and having Bakkies Botha back is a solid step in the right direction. For the Chiefs’ sake, I hope they’ve all had tetanus injections: after his long injury break, the big lock will be raring to get stuck in this weekend.