BJ Botha

Tri-Nations & down time

LIFE IN THE SPRINGBOK SQUAD
Besides the disappointing results, being back in the Springbok camp has been unbelievable.

Playing for the Springboks is where I want to be and the fact that I’m not there now makes me that much hungrier to regain my place. There is a process in place however and I know I’ll have to perform for Ulster to be called up again.

DOWN TIME

There are a few Boks who don’t return to their respective unions during the Tri-Nations; usually the players who have played every test or have had a lot of game time. When they do manage to put their feet up, they’ll spend time on what they enjoy outside of the game: Family, hobbies and generally recovering from past matches. Any professional rugby player will tell you that you actually never totally rest. There is always something to do, be it rehab on a recurring or current injury or simply keeping the body ticking over with a little gym and a run during the week. It is important however to find a balance between rest and keeping the body sufficiently conditioned and ready for the next game, whenever that might be.

Personally it’s just been great to be back in SA again, spending time as a family doing things that we take for granted when we’re in Northern Ireland (such as braais outside, spending time on our great beaches and visiting the KZN Midlands). We really enjoy the Drakensberg and make a trip up there when we can. We recently visited one of our favourite places, Hartford House: A stud farm and a great retreat to relax, enjoy the outdoors in good company and really do nothing.

We’ll also be planning a trip to spend a couple of days at the beach; a very enjoyable and unique luxury that you can’t really experience in Belfast. As you might have seen on Top Billing, I’m an avid mountain biker and looking forward to testing myself in a race at Howick on the weekend. I’ve also started working on my handicap again and have been enjoying a few rounds with some friends, particularly on my home course, Cotswold Downs.

We’ve also spent a number of afternoons at our favourite lunch venue, Bellevue in Kloof. It’s always been a great excuse for a meeting or get together. Also looking forward to spending some time at our local dinner venue, Aubergine in Hillcrest, where a great South African wine will definitely be on the cards.

VISITING THE SHARK TANK

I’ve had the chance to make my way to the Shark Tank to watch my old teammates and it’s been great to be at ABSA Stadium again to feel the atmosphere that I enjoyed for numerous years! 

ULSTER

Ulster meanwhile have been on a stringent training programme and have completed a number of pre-season games before we start the season on 4 September. I’m really looking forward to getting together with my teammates and some of the new faces that have joined Ulster, namely Johann Muller, Pedrie Wannenberg and Ruan Pienaar. Personally, I’m relishing the chance to get some silverware in my last season with Ulster. I think we have a great opportunity to do well this season, but it is a process and we have to play each game at a time and put steps into place and practice to drive the Ulster machine forward!

SOUND OFF

I’ll be back with some news in the next two weeks where I will wrap up the Tri-Nations, touch on my arrival back in Belfast and share what my last two weeks of holiday in SA were like.

The Flight & Accommodation

We (the Springboks) had a week’s break following our win over Italy in East London, but that was only a break from the field of play. We still had to keep the engine running in the gym and on the training paddock with the Tri-Nations approaching.

It was great to spend a week in Durban with family and a few friends after being away for the past four weeks. The weather in Durban also didn't disappoint and I doubt we had a day under 25 degrees; this all in winter! Unbelievable!

We left in two groups from Johannesburg and I was in the group that left on Saturday (the other group leaving on Sunday). We had a great flight and what made it even better was that our connection to Auckland was boarding when we landed, so there was no time wasted sitting around. After a long-haul flight like that, all you want to do is get to your destination! Jetlag did take its toll in the first three nights, but I’m accustomed to the time change now (as are most of the players).

A few of the guys lost some of their baggage, which isn’t great when all you want to do is shower and get into a fresh set of clothes. Now the only option is to borrow clothes or hope your bags arrive soon! Thankfully, all my bags arrived, but I couldn't use a lot of my clothes anyway as my shampoo burst in my bag! My first day ended with a large laundry bag of clothes, all requiring washing!

We are staying in Auckland and didn't realize (until we arrived) that the Springboks haven't played in Auckland since 2001(when we went down 26-15).

I don't know the reason for the lengthy absence, but perhaps it has to do with the welcome we received at our first practice on Tuesday morning.

The field was a sea of green jerseys and vuvuzelas greeting us; even to the extent that a Cape band played non-stop whilst we were training! The support was great and we did a fair few signatures afterwards for them. These are obviously South Africans that have immigrated and this is possibly one reason why there’s been such a long wait for a Springbok Test in Auckland, but I don’t know if the immigrant issue carries any weight.

We are staying in town itself and its great to just head down to Starbucks (if the eyes aren’t too tired yet) or go out for a bite to eat on our off day as its all well within walking distance. Some guys even enjoy a walk to the shops!

Preparation & Training

We’ve had two gym sessions and one field session (as of Wednesday) and will have another field session on Thursday and Friday. Practice has been going well and it helped that the sun came out for the duration of the practice! You have to be very careful to find the balance of how much you need to do as accuracy is far more important than quantity when you’ve come off a long- haul flight like we had.

This is where rest and recovery is also of great importance.

Personally, I’m looking forward to playing after a week off and playing in the

Tri-Nations for the first time since 2007. It’s a spectacular competition and great to be involved again!

General Feeling in the Camp for the Test

When you come against your biggest rivals, it’s something that you dream of when you are a young boy; to play against the All Blacks and face the Haka.

Whether you play in New Zealand or back home, it’s a massive occasion; so there are always a few butterflies around, but I think that’s a good sign.

We are really looking forward to doing what we do and doing it well!

As a team, we’re looking to concentrate on our performance as a unit.

Preparing for my Opposite Number

My preparation is always the same for each Test match as every match up is a “Test” in every sense of the word. The butterflies are always around but playing in New Zealand against the All Blacks has just got that little something special.

It’s a little more demanding on your mental and physical preparation, as you can’t afford mistakes. If you do make one, it must not happen again!

LAUREUS SPORTS AWARDS

In my last blog I mentioned in passing that I’d be attending the Laureus Sports Awards (held in the UAE) as one of the representatives of the Springboks, who were nominated in the Team of the Year category. I was joined by my teammates Butch James, Jean De Villiers and Bakkies Botha. Our coach Pieter De Villiers was also in attendance (to keep an eye on us). It was an extremely tough category with star-studded international powerhouses such as the LA Lakers, New York Yankees, FC Barcelona and Brawn F1 GP. Brawn took it in the end, which left us a little disappointed but at the same time, humbled by the fact that we could be nominated alongside giants of the sporting world.

There were in fact two evenings planned; one being a cocktail evening where actors, Laureus ambassadors and nominees mingled. It was quite surreal seeing actors such as Clive Owen, Gwyneth Paltrow and Hugh Grant. Kevin Spacey was the MC of the Awards ceremony itself and he really put on a great show. To cap it off, fellow South Africans Oscar Pistorius and Natalie Du Toit were also nominated, with Natalie walking away with the award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.

The ceremony also proved to be quite reflective. Yes, it was about recognizing the best of the best in the field of sport; but Laureus also plays a huge role in improving the lives of people around the world (particularly children). Sometimes we take it for granted that people have running water, medical care and even a roof over their heads. It was certainly an eye-opener.

THE UAE

Apart from the awards ceremony itself, the trip was a memorable one for my family and I. From the time we boarded our Etihad flight until the time we got back, the UAE proved to be a rollercoaster ride that we just didn’t want to get off! Abu Dhabi is one place that really knows how to show its riches!

I also had the chance to fit in a round of golf at the Championship course where I shot an 87. Needless to say, Jean De Villiers and I saw off our opponents comfortably!

ULSTER

It’s proving to be a strange time of the season at Ulster, as we’ve only played one game since my last blog due to the international break (Six Nations). Though it may seem good to have a break now and then, it’s very ‘stop start’ and difficult to take advantage of any sort of momentum that the squad has built up through the season.

Our last couple of games have proved disappointing and we now find ourselves in a situation where we have to win a few (if not all) of our games to give ourselves a realistic shot at the Magners League playoffs. We’ve got the prospect of back to back fixtures against the Cardiff Blues, which is always tough, but we’ll be working hard for some good results.

Having mentioned the negative side of the break, I must admit that the time off does give you a chance to work on those aspects of your game that would take a back seat in a ‘game week’. Your body can recover from a few knocks, you can push yourself harder in the gym and even a round of golf now and then (weather permitting, of course).

SOUTH AFRICAN SUPER 14 PROGRESS

It’s great to see South African teams (Bulls and Stormers) right at the top of the Super 14 table as we near the halfway stage! It really bodes well for the future of the Springboks and South African rugby in general. More good news is the Sharks’ win over the Highlanders in the ‘House of Pain’. Dunedin has always been a happy hunting ground for the Sharks (I’ve never lost there in a Sharks jersey) and let’s hope that the result is just the start of things to come!

Though professionals should treat every game with the same intensity, certain fixtures can make or break a season. This was the case with our Heineken Cup game against Edinburgh on Friday night. The Ulster faithful are as knowledgeable as they are passionate & the talk in Belfast was that this would be our most important game since we won the Heineken Cup in 1999. Both teams needed the win to keep quarter-final aspirations alive & the resultant intensity was clear for all to see.

Edinburgh are a well-drilled side that puts a lot of phases together & have a world-class placekicker in Chris Paterson. This, combined with Ravenhill’s gushing winds meant that we needed to keep it tight.  From a forward perspective, this meant setting up phases relatively close to the breakdown.  It was the epitome of ‘putting in the hard yards’ & our ball-retention showed in the teams’ respective tackle counts (Edinburgh made 100 tackles in the 1^st half, compared to our 21).  We pressured Edinburgh into giving away 6 penalties in the first quarter, but the conditions made it near impossible to convert the pressure into points.

Edinburgh came out firing in the 2^nd half & had 91% possession in the 3^rd quarter of the game, but we managed to soak up the pressure, culminating in our scrumhalf Isaac Boss scoring a great try in the 55^th minute.

On a personal front, I squared off against Allan Jacobsen, the current Scottish loose-head & a tough customer. We’ve faced each other on a few occasions & this battle was true to form. He was replaced by Kyle Traynor; an up & coming young prop making his way through the system. He gets around the park, but doesn’t avoid the hard graft and is always solid at the set piece. I have no doubt that he will wear the Scottish jersey one of these days.