#1. Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
Botha, now retired after 87 tests and a World Cup winner’s medal, said he always relished the challenge of playing the All Blacks, and McCaw in particular.
BOTHA SAID: “They were always the hardest opponents we faced and there was no better player than Richie McCaw that I came up against. My role was clear when playing against them: make the breakdown brutal.
“If McCaw or any of the New Zealand boys had to take a moment to look out for me, then I knew I was winning. When I played them, I always wanted them to know I was coming for them, and the biggest compliment I ever received was from (South Africa coach) Jake White, who said he could see they had fear in their eyes during the game.”
