Former Bok prop Toks van der Linde spoke to Stephen Nell and Liam Del Carme of Die Burger about the Wallaby allegations that BJ Botha is a cheat.
Australia forwards coach Michael Foley yesterday tried to exert pressure on the referee by pointing out that, in his opinion, BJ Botha scrums illegally.
“BJ is a very good prop but we have been noticing his tactics for a while. He has been very successful with it. He is short, and when he scrums inward it gives him a big advantage.
“Good first-phase possession will provide opportunities to attack and to cross the gain line. That means you can build the rest of your game on it. To beat the Springboks you must lay a good foundation up front,” said Foley.
Toks has responded by rubbishing Foley’s comments on Botha. He stated that there was absolutely nothing wrong with Botha’s technique.
“It’s psychological nonsense. I know what Foley is trying to do. We used to complain about Bill Young’s scrum technique and now they try to do the same.”
“I have been speaking about (BJ) since the Super 14 final. What makes him such a formidable opponent is the way he uses the new scrum law to his advantage.
“The front rows used to be far from each other. Now it is different. Once the referee has said “crouch, touch, pause” BJ pulls his right arm back. At “engage” he quickly moves in. The loosehead has to recover from that first, and it gives BJ the advantage.”
The Australians seem to be worried about what lies ahead for them in the scrum, even selecting Stephen Moore at hooker in place of Adam Freier in order to boost their performance at the set piece
Knuckles Connolly said yesterday that “We had quite a debate about whom to pick at hooker in the starting line-up. In the end we went for the one who gives us the best option in the scrum.”
Donut Dunning, Botha’s opponent come Saturday must’ve been wishing that Foley had not opened his big mouth and inserted his foot. He said that he regarded the Bok as “a world-class tighthead prop” and only a “short head behind Carl Hayman”.
“Botha certainly attacks the hooker but it’s not for me to say whether it is legal or illegal. That is the referee’s job,” said the hapless Dunning.
The Ausies should stop whining. Bloody sheep shaggers.