Botha in Trouble
Key South Africa player, Bakkies Botha, is in a whole heap of trouble after he was seen head-butting a New Zealand player during the first Tri Nations match between the two countries.
Botha must have taken objection to something that Jimmy Cowan either said or did during the match, because he launched his forehead into the face of the Kiwi player who quickly went down in a heap.
The incident was missed by the referee and other officials during the game, but had it been seen, it would have meant a straight red card for the player, which would have seen him dismissed from the team.
Unfortunately for South Africa the incident did not really make too much difference because of the emphatic way that the Kiwis went on and won the match at a canter. There is now a danger that the player will be suspended after video footage has clearly shown the incident taking place.
Dangerous
Needless to say the incident is an extremely dangerous one, which could have severely hurt Cowan and it could have forced him from the field with injury. This is likely to be one of the statements put in front of the player by any disciplinary panel.
A severe head-butt can mean a number of things to the person on the receiving end. Cowan could have endured anything from a bad gash on the head to a bad concussion some time after the game.
Unfortunately, in rugby, off-the-ball scuffles seem to happen all of the time and there are only a few picked up clearly by television cameras. This means that if a player gets annoyed with someone else during a game then it's dangerous for them to act on their feelings.
Consequences
The consequences for Botha are going to come from a variety of different angles. He will be disciplined by his own side who may have reviewed the incident and come to their own decision. This could mean that the player would be suspended by the South African team as opposed to any third party organisation.
He may well be suspended by a body within control of rugby. This would be an official suspension and could range from one to a few games depending on the judgement of the severity of the head-butt. This would keep the player out of any matches that South Africa played, which is exactly what he deserves.
If neither of these two things happen, then New Zealand would be quite within their rights to submit an official complaint on behalf of Cowan relating to the incident. This would bring forward a different angle without any South African input and could open the eyes of various bodies to the incident all over again.
Many people are going to take this incident with a pinch of salt because it's the Tri Nations, tempers are high and the odds are bigger than they have ever been. Botha may be out of the team for next match but any replacement is not less likely to display the same South African aggression.
It is clear that South Africa have to improve after they lost the first game between these two countries by 20 points. They are always worth a punt because they are the World Champions for a reason and they are not a bad team by any means.
However, it does not take much to spur the Kiwis on and this off-the-ball incident could be just the thing they need to focus on as they prepare to exact revenge over South Africa all over again.
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