A jet-lagged BJ Botha writes for us from Australia where he is currently touring with the Barbarians. Find out what BJ thinks about the British and Irish Lions, the Springboks and how the series will turn out!

As I write this, it is 8.45pm in Sydney, Australia and like last night I am struggling to sleep…

Since assembling with the Barbarians squad, the tour has been going really well (with the exception of the jet-lag), and the Baa-baas concept is something I have really enjoyed from the beginning. The guys that I am playing with are all great internationals in their own right and it fantastic to be part of this incredibly talented squad and to get out on to the park with them.

The Barbarians is obviously not as intense and pressurised at Test rugby, but we all still want to go out and win games. I think that combination makes it a nice environment — the result does matter, but at the end of the day it is not everything either.

Obviously being part of the Barbarians means you get to spend a lot more time doing things off the field as well, which has been great, and we have been doing a lot of functions (representing the Baa-baas) and getting out for get-togethers and dinners.

It’s also the first time in a while that the Barbarians have been in Australia so there is a lot of hype about it over here, particularly with Sonny Bill Williams — a big League hero in Sydney — playing for us. A lot of the locals are keen to see him play and the media are making a big thing of the tour.

Sonny Bill has been injured a couple of time since moving codes, but he is really starting to get into it now. He is a big guy, with great skills and I think he will do well against Australia on Saturday.

I am really keen to get out on the park on Saturday as well after being on the bench against England last week. That game was the first time I have played international rugby since playing Wales last year so I am really looking forward to it and hopefully we can get a good result.

It’s going to be tough for the Lions

Unfortunately I did not get to see the Super 14 Final as we were playing at the same time, and while I never had much doubt that the Bulls would win the game — what with the Chiefs having to travel to Loftus — I was surprised by the scoreline!

In the end I think it was just one game too much for the Chiefs…

I managed to watch bits and pieces of the British and Irish Lions first game on tour from the change room. I also noticed that the tourists were trailing right up until the final seven minutes, but I think in the end the Lions will take the win and hang onto that.

However, I didn’t watch closely enough, but there must have been areas where they allowed themselves to be exposed, which does not bode well for them as the teams coming up are not going to be getting any easier. This will be a huge tour for them, and they cannot afford to give the local teams any ammunition to use against them.

The Lions haven’t had the best of luck with injuries either, but that first win under the belt means they can take it and move on from there, and then look to improve as they move on in the tour. It’s not going to get any easier though and hopefully he South African teams will make it as difficult as possible for the Lions ahead of the Tests…

Not many surprises in Bok squad

I saw the Springbok squad late on Monday, and there are not that many surprises with the majority of the guys having been part of the side last year, with one new face in Morne Steyn and then Deon Carstens being called back into the squad. There were also one or two guys left out, who will feel unlucky, such as Johann Muller.

Obviously at the end of the day the Springbok selectors will stand by their selections and which players will best suit their gameplan. That is what they want to go forward with and they have two weeks to prepare for the Test series – it is a strong squad, and they will have to be with the Lions coming at them with all they got. The Lions series is extremely exciting and I am looking forward to seeing how the series plays out.

Lions not strong enough

Personally, I do not think the guys are strong enough. The tour that they have ahead of them is extremely challenging. They have tough games leading up to the Test matches and the tour games are all very close together. Coach Ian McGeechan has said that the midweek games will benefit his squad as they will be able to confirm their strongest Test line-up, but for some players taking part in two physical games and then starting in the Tests, is going to be very, very tough.

I don’t see them beating us in any of the Tests. If they target Durban (the first Test) and win it, that will definitely turn things around with the Springboks heading to Loftus under pressure. So, the Lions will give everything of themselves for the first Test, and whatever happens in Durban will be a sign of things to come… but like I said, I cannot see that happening.


RSS
Digg
de.li.cious
facebook
LATEST FEATURES
It's wide open, says BJ iafrica.com columnist BJ Botha reckons the Tri-Nations is wide open this year!
'Biff' opens up (c) AFP SA skipper Graeme Smith opened up about everything from earning potential to match-fixing on Wednesd
Sport's great comebacks With Michael Schumacher poised for a comeback, we take a look at other great sporting returns.