Take that you "bliksemse bal"...!

Naas Botha is quite simply the face of rugby as far as South Africa is concerned. Naas is still baas [boss] as far as tactical rugby knowledge goes, and love him or hate him, his opinion is generally respected across the rugby playing fraternity. At times during his playing days he was criticised for not getting involved in too much contact, nor keen on having a go himself. Whilst the first part of the above might be true, I definately don’t believe the second part is. Perhaps the view that his running game was below par is due to the fact that his kicking game was so far ahead of anyone else at the time.

Naas was devastating with both his left and right boot, earning him the nickname, “Nasty Booter” from the British press during the 1980 British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa. They found out just how nasty he could be in the third test in Port Elizabeth when Botha, under immense pressure, put a touchline conversion between the uprights in wet conditions to give the Springboks a 12-10 victory and an unbeatable three-nil series lead.

As well as being a devastating kicker of the ball, whether it be drop kicking, punting or place kicking, Naas had impeccable handling skills and was able to get his backline moving very quickly at any given moment with his accurate long and short range passing. He had an eye for a gap and was a deceptively quick runner.  This coupled together with his handling and superb passing skills resulted in countless tries for the players outside of him.

Naas controlling the 1986 rebel New Zealand Cavaliers test:

Naas had a tactical reading of the game that was second to none. An understanding that has perhaps never been surpassed by any single player, past or present. He had the ability to put his opponents on the back foot and keep them there.

Naas’ drop kicking ability however was his trademark, having kicked 18 drop goals in just 28 test matches. Naas remains the second highest points scorer in Springbok history, scoring 312 points in an international career that was cut short by South Africa’s exclusion from international sporting events.

Doc Craven said of Naas:

“Naas is a genius – a match winner. I’ve often said it and I’ll say it again: I cannot believe that a team with Naas Botha in its ranks could ever lose a match.

He can win virtually on his own against any opposition. Naas has the presence of mind to know exactly what is happening, to sum up his opponents and instantly decide on the correct tactics. Give me Naas Botha any day and I’ll beat the world…”

Some Stats/Facts about Naas: