Italians & Home Nations

[Pukana]

Toulon says it has Botha
Sportal.co.nz 26/02/2008

Rugby World Cup winner Bakkies Botha will be unveiled as a Toulon player tomorrow, according to the French club's official website.

A deal has been done to reunite 28-year-old Botha with international team-mate Victor Matfield in France, despite claims to the contrary emanating from South Africa.

A statement on the Toulon website on Monday read: "In a new thunderbolt for the French championship, John Philip 'Bakkies' Botha has joined Rugby Club Toulonnais.

"The South African second row, winner of the 2007 World Cup, joins his compatriot Victor Matfield in the red and black shirt.

"John Philip Botha is set to arrive in Toulon on February 26. He has signed a three-month contract with the option for an extra two years."

Last week, Super 14 champions Blue Bulls denied that Botha had signed a deal with Toulon and said they had refused the French club's request to release the player.

The Bulls' business and communication manager Ian Schwartz said last week: "He has a contract with us and can't play anywhere else."

Schwartz confirmed the Bulls had already turned down two requests to release Botha - one from Toulon and the other from the player himself.

"There have been no further negotiations and nothing has been placed on the table since we turned down those requests, so as it stands Botha still has a contract with us," he added.

"Botha is bound by the International Rugby Board and South African Rugby Union regulations, which makes it impossible for him to play anywhere until he gets a release from us.

"The reports in the media that say Botha is going to play for Toulon in the near future are only speculative and simply not true."

[pier12345]

No Bakkies Botha for Tolon...how in gods name could they have put that type of news on their offical website??
in any case..i see they lost again!! this time to lowly Oyannax..33-22

[danci]

No Bakkies Botha for Tolon...how in gods name could they have put that type of news on their offical website??

still givin' in about this

Boudjellal said BB signed a contract with RCT, waiting for him to come next month, if he wont't they're gonna sue...

[pier12345]

No Bakkies Botha for Tolon...how in gods name could they have put that type of news on their offical website??

still givin' in about this

Boudjellal said BB signed a contract with RCT, waiting for him to come next month, if he wont't they're gonna sue...

where's the problem?

he may well end up in Toulon...but he should have arrived in December, then February...now it is possibly April....

it is not me "still givin' in about this.."..it is public knowledge that the SARFU forced Toulon to remove from their website the official signing ot Bakkies Botha

Botha has a 5 year deal with the Blue Bulls, and they will want MASSIVE compensation to release him...

http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/breves2008/ ... 50Dev.html

Alors que le Rugby Club Toulonnais annonce sur son site internet la signature du deuxième-ligne champion du monde jusqu'à la fin de la saison avec deux années supplémentaires en option, du côté de l'Afrique du Sud, sa province, les Blue Bulls, ne l'entend pas de cette oreille. Les champions en titre du Super 14 affirment que Bakkies Botha (photo l'Equipe) a signé une prolongation de contrat de cinq ans l'an dernier, le liant au club jusqu'en 2011. Leur position est claire : le joueur est sous contrat et si ce dernier souhaite partir, ce qui semble le cas, il ne délivreront pas la lettre de sortie, obligatoire, permettant au deuxième-ligne de jouer pour un autre club. De plus, la Fédération sud-africaine s'est alliée aux Bulls pour bloquer le départ de leur champion du monde, qui est également lié à la SARU. Enfin, la province de Pretoria a menacé le joueur de saisir l'IRB si le conflit persistait et si le RCT décidait de l'aligner Botha en championnat de Pro D2.

he may well arrive...but Toulon should not have announced his arrival and then retracted it from the website after a few days

[pier12345]

No Bakkies Botha for Tolon...how in gods name could they have put that type of news on their offical website??

still givin' in about this

Boudjellal said BB signed a contract with RCT, waiting for him to come next month, if he wont't they're gonna sue...

where's the problem?

he may well end up in Toulon...but he should have arrived in December, then February...now it is possibly April....

it is not me "still givin' in about this.."..it is public knowledge that the SARFU forced Toulon to remove from their website the official signing ot Bakkies Botha

Botha has a 5 year deal with the Blue Bulls, and they will want MASSIVE compensation to release him...

http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/breves2008/ ... 50Dev.html

Alors que le Rugby Club Toulonnais annonce sur son site internet la signature du deuxième-ligne champion du monde jusqu'à la fin de la saison avec deux années supplémentaires en option, du côté de l'Afrique du Sud, sa province, les Blue Bulls, ne l'entend pas de cette oreille. Les champions en titre du Super 14 affirment que Bakkies Botha (photo l'Equipe) a signé une prolongation de contrat de cinq ans l'an dernier, le liant au club jusqu'en 2011. Leur position est claire : le joueur est sous contrat et si ce dernier souhaite partir, ce qui semble le cas, il ne délivreront pas la lettre de sortie, obligatoire, permettant au deuxième-ligne de jouer pour un autre club. De plus, la Fédération sud-africaine s'est alliée aux Bulls pour bloquer le départ de leur champion du monde, qui est également lié à la SARU. Enfin, la province de Pretoria a menacé le joueur de saisir l'IRB si le conflit persistait et si le RCT décidait de l'aligner Botha en championnat de Pro D2.

he may well arrive...but Toulon should not have announced his arrival and then retracted it from the website after a few days

[danci]

No Bakkies Botha for Tolon...how in gods name could they have put that type of news on their offical website??

still givin' in about this

Boudjellal said BB signed a contract with RCT, waiting for him to come next month, if he wont't they're gonna sue...

where's the problem?

he may well end up in Toulon...but he should have arrived in December, then February...now it is possibly April....

it is not me "still givin' in about this.."..it is public knowledge that the SARFU forced Toulon to remove from their website the official signing ot Bakkies Botha

Botha has a 5 year deal with the Blue Bulls, and they will want MASSIVE compensation to release him...

he may well arrive...but Toulon should not have announced his arrival and then retracted it from the website after a few days

no Pier... it's not you who are "still givin' in", it's RCT and Boudjellal...

I was referring to them, "still givin' in" despite what the SARFU officially said...

totally agree with you for the rest

but if it's true that BB signed a contract with Toulon while the deal with the SARFU is still active (and for such a long time) Bakkies gotta be quite a little bit odd...

[pier12345]

yeah ,sorry
but you have to agree it is a bit of a soap opera!
they say Botha only singed a PRE contract...conditioned on his release from the Bulls...

the SARFU and Bulls probably would have released him , or negotiated a fee for his release...but supposedly they went crazy when they saw the arrogance of Toulon posting on their website that botha was to arrive 27 february..when in fact he was preparing for a Super14 game

i am sure we will have more interesting news soon...!

[pier12345]

Donncha o Callaghan, despite the massive offers ..one from Stade Francais
( Euro400,000 a year plus extreas) , and Gloucester( BP260,000 plus image rights) ....has resigned for Munster for the next 3 years .....!

in the meantime...talks between Munster and Sergio Parisse , are continuing...
Munster feel it is very very difficult to get Parisse out of his contract from Stade Francais, and accept they may not get his signature...but when you are talking about one of the worlds best no8's ...it doesnt cost to try

[pier12345]

c) Glasgow and London irish will qualify for the first time to the quarterfinals of the Heineken Cup

wrong for Glasgow
right for the Exiles (thank a scot ref...)

d) Munster..with the inclusions of Paul O Connell, Doug Howlett , Paringatai ( all injured ) will be favourites to win the Heineken Cup

they're not even going to advance to the knock-out stages 'cause they're going to lose both next two matches

e) Ireland will finish second last in the 6N

who will be the winner?

indeed!

[danci]

d) Munster..with the inclusions of Paul O Connell, Doug Howlett , Paringatai ( all injured ) will be favourites to win the Heineken Cup

they're not even going to advance to the knock-out stages 'cause they're going to lose both next two matches

indeed!

glad I didn't bet a cent...

now I predict a Toulouse-Munster final, the french side winner, but I'm probably wrong once more...

[pier12345]

d) Munster..with the inclusions of Paul O Connell, Doug Howlett , Paringatai ( all injured ) will be favourites to win the Heineken Cup

they're not even going to advance to the knock-out stages 'cause they're going to lose both next two matches

indeed!

glad I didn't bet a cent...

now I predict a Toulouse-Munster final, the french side winner, but I'm probably wrong once more... :wink:

hahaha
nah...third time lucky!

mind you...what if London irish one it!!!!!!!!!!

[MOCKBA]

interesting that the poms who blame the ABs to steal the polly boys at their grassroot level from the islands will now have mr Vanikolo (who is also a kiwi) on duty ................................

wow this is the call of the year! Vulcano proved useless at interantional level, who would have thought...i certainly didn't. Personally after having seen him cause havoc in his early games for Glos i thought he would be a much improved version (if that is at all possible) of Jason Jobinson...just bigger, meaner, tougher and scarier...

[pier12345]

d) Munster..with the inclusions of Paul O Connell, Doug Howlett , Paringatai ( all injured ) will be favourites to win the Heineken Cup

they're not even going to advance to the knock-out stages 'cause they're going to lose both next two matches

indeed!

glad I didn't bet a cent...

now I predict a Toulouse-Munster final, the french side winner, but I'm probably wrong once more... :wink:

hahaha
nah...third time lucky!

mind you...what if London irish one it!!!!!!!!!!

well you got that call correct ...

Munster-Toulose

Munster have by far had the most difficult road to a Final ...from their group of death ...Llanelli, Clermont, Wasps...then quarter finals away to gloucester, and then semifinals away to Saracens...
so they really deserve to win it...
But Tolouse i think are too good on their day.

[pier12345]

Toulon on the verge of a nervous collapse!

Victor Matfield and Anton Olivier have refused new contracts and will leave the club at the end of the season
Bakkies Botha Saga will go to the South African Constitutional Court!! ( rumours have it that the Blue Bulls will release him BUT NOT to TOULON)

Toulon say they have signed 9 new players for next season in the TOP14 already!! ..one is Koyamaibole as we know

they claim also DAN CARTER who will be paid euro42,000 per game plus euro100,000 signing bonus!!

the problem? Toulon lost again..and have racing metro now only 3 points behind ...and the club in a bi spin..with mnay players not happy etc etc...

this will be interesting!

[danci]

now I predict a Toulouse-Munster final, the french side winner, but I'm probably wrong once more... :wink[/b]:

well you got that call correct ...

Munster-Toulose

Munster have by far had the most difficult road to a Final ...from their group of death ...Llanelli, Clermont, Wasps...then quarter finals away to gloucester, and then semifinals away to Saracens...
so they really deserve to win it...
But Tolouse i think are too good on their day.

Toulose still favourite but by a narrow margin, they struggled a lot in the semi, their backline without Fritz, Clerc and Poitrenaud (all of them seriously injured even if Fritz has just come back playing but still in poor form) is not that letal weapon we used to know (but still a top level one with Heymans, Jauzion, Kunavore and the young shining star Max Medard), all the season long they couldn't find a good solution at the halves with two top players at sh and none at fh

a dogfight btw, can't wait

as for Toulon everything will be decided on may 25th at Mayol, in the big clash RCT v MR (hope to be there... )