Kevin Mealamu reveals the ‘formidable’ Springbok who was his toughest opponent
For over a decade, Kevin Mealamu was the immovable object at the heart of the All Blacks’ front row. With 132 Test caps and two Rugby World Cup medals, the former hooker faced the most abrasive packs in the history of the professional game.
From the technical mastery of Springboks front-rowers to the sheer power of the England scrum, Mealamu has seen it all. However, when asked to name the single toughest opponent of his career, the Blues legend did not pick a fellow hooker.
Instead, he pointed to the engine room of the Springboks pack and one of the most feared enforcers to ever play the game:
Kevin Mealamu “No easy days at Test level”
Speaking on a recent Sport Nation NZ Podcast, Mealamu was initially hesitant to single out one individual, noting the relentlessly high standard of international front-row play. For a hooker, the battle is usually personal—a direct duel with the opposing number two.
“I feel like in that hooker position, there’s not one,” Mealamu explained regarding his direct opponents. “At an international level, it’s a constant. You’re on your toes every time.
“You look who’s across the other side and you think, ‘there’s no easy day’. So, it’s really hard actually to say one.”
However, looking beyond the scrum battle to the general physicality of open play, Mealamu admitted there was one figure who always made him feel like he had his “work cut out”.
Bakkies Botha ‘Speaks like Jesus, plays like the devil’
Mealamu identified Victor ‘Bakkies’ Botha, the 6ft 7in lock who collected 85 caps for South Africa, as the player who commanded the most fear and respect.
Botha was the physical edge to the Springboks’ World Cup-winning side of 2007, known for his uncompromising cleaning out of rucks and his ability to intimidate the opposition. For Mealamu, the contrast between Botha’s off-field persona and his on-field violence was stark.
“If there was a player [where] I always felt like, ‘Man, I’ve got my work cut out’, whether that was international or Super Rugby, it probably would have been Bakkies Botha,” Mealamu revealed.
“He was formidable. I always used to laugh when he used to do a sign of the cross running out, and then his first action was running over someone or [smashing] someone on the side of a ruck.
“You knew what you had cut out for yourself.”
Botha, who formed a legendary second-row partnership with Victor Matfield, was famous for walking a disciplinary tightrope. Yet, as is often the case in rugby, the ‘hard man’ image evaporated the moment the final whistle blew.
“Off the field, what a gentleman,” Mealamu added. “Speaks like Jesus, plays like the devil. It was Bakkies Botha.”
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A rivalry of giants
The respect between the two players was forged in the heat of arguably rugby’s greatest rivalry. During the mid-2000s, Mealamu’s All Blacks and Botha’s Springboks traded the title of world’s best team, culminating in battles that were as physical as they were tactical.
While Matfield ran the lineout and the backs provided the flair, it was Botha’s role to ensure the physical dominance of the pack—a job Mealamu clearly feels he succeeded in.
To be singled out by an All Black of Mealamu’s standing—a man known for his own durability and toughness—is a testament to the unique aura Botha held during his playing days. In an era of giants, the Bulls lock stood tallest.
