Springbok captain Corne Krige found himself back in the midst of the World Cup action in Sydney last night — as a guest on the legendary Australian show The Cream.
Krige was introduced after a selection of video nasties and Aussie comedians Roy and HG were soon asking him who he’d most like to nobble.
After some prompting, Krige said: “Jonny Wilkinson is such a good player, obviously you like to get to him.
“But I’ve got to say the man I most like to tackle is the guy you saw me elbowing on the video, Martin Johnson. He’s a great guy off the field but he’s a real pain on it.”
Krige was then asked if religion got in the way of his abrasive kicking style. Now the South African began to look a little uncomfortable.
He admitted: “It is tough at times, but I think having a beer afterwards is the most imortant thing.
“Rugby is a unique sport where you can do that. Smash the bloke on the field but shake hands afterwards and have a beer with him.”
Krige admitted that the game against England at Twickenham last November was his personal low point. He said: “I apologised after that game. I lost it once and that’s how it goes. As captain I have to set an example, and I try to.”
Asked if he had any advice for Australia going in to the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, Krige shocked the Sydney harbourside audience by saying: “Give it up, you’ve got no chance. If New Zealand play like they did against us, they’ll have to front up physically and look after Carlos Spencer.
“If he starts creating havoc, you’ll have a bad day at the office.”