Jacques van der Westhuyzen was left "angry and embarrassed" by the actions of Bakkies Botha in South Africa's loss to New Zealand, in The Star.

"There's a fine line in rugby between being an aggressive player and being a thug. On Saturday in Auckland, Bakkies Botha overstepped the line. And if he is branded a thug for the rest of his career, it'll be no surprise. "His headbutt on Jimmy Cowan was inexcusable and he's rightly been punished. His absence in the Bok team will, fortunately, not be felt because there are more than enough quality locks to take over the No4 jersey. In fact, Danie Rossouw and Andries Bekker have played better rugby than Botha in the last 12 months and while they may not have the "presence" of him on the field, they're just as aggressive, robust and are, in fact, far cleaner players."