The Chiefs skipper's call to the said bunch of South Africans in the French capital Paris came as a surprise to those on the other end of the line.

The Chiefs skipper's call was well appreciated by the recipients of his call who were members of the Springbok Rugby team as they returned from a training session to their Paris hotel when Bartlett’s call was put through to them as they prepare of their IRB Rugby World Cup Final against the defending champions England at the Stade De France in St Denis outside of Paris on Saturday evening.

Bartlett a player used to representing his country at the highest level from his time as a Bafana Bafana player, as he participated in Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup tournaments, had a few words with Springbok players Akona Ndungane an avid and ardent Amakhosi fan, as well as J.P. Pietersen the 21-year-old fullback who has been one of the Springboks stars at the tournament which will culminate with this weekend's final. The Chiefs skipper conveyed messages of goodwill to the team and shared some advice with them, as they prepare for their meeting with England’s Johnny Wilkinson and company.

Bartlett honour

The former Charlton Athletic and Bafana Bafana goal scoring record holder said it was an honour for him to get the opportunity to pass on a message on behalf of The Amakhosi to the Springboks. In his conversation with Akona Ndungane Bartlett said. “I would like you to wish the rest of the guys all the best and having played in such tournaments I understand the pressure the team are under. May God give you guys the strength to pull through on Saturday, we are proud of what you have achieved and remember that the entire Kaizer Chiefs family is behind you, the players, staff and fans as well as the entire country”.

Pietersen tribute

Shaun also had the opportunity to talk to J.P. Pietersen,and it is thanks to the 21-year-old who made a number of match saving tackles in the quarterfinals against Fiji and the semifinal against the Argentineans who the South Africans have to thank for being in Saturday’s final.

Bartlett did not hold back his praise for Pietersen. While talking to the Natal Sharks player Bartlett said to him, “stick together on Saturday and you guys will come through. Also I have watched you throughout the tournament and have been really impressed by the way you have performed all tournament long, keep it going in the final and you will definitely be bringing home the trophy”.

Akona delight

When Ndungane picked up the phone in his hotel room on Wednesday he did not expect anyone from Chiefs to be on the other side of the phone, and was pleased to hear the voice of Bartlett on the other end of the line. Akona told kaizerchiefs.com after his lengthy conversation with the Chiefs skipper, “it means a lot to me that a guy like Bartlett who has played at the highest level of his sporting code could come out in support for us in the way he has. Also the messages of well wishes that he has sent on behalf of the entire Chiefs team to us is well appreciated, I will pass on these messages to the rest of the team and believe me we appreciate the support shown to us by The Amakhosi”.

Pietersen a pleasure

While J.P. Pietersen has lit up the 2007 Rugby World Cup with his explosive playing style, he was pleased to receive the praise that he did from Bartlett and spoke to kaizerchiefs.com of how happy he is to have received the call from The Amakhosi captain. Pietersen said “Shaun is a big name in South African sport and speaking to him and getting the encouragement and praise that I did from, is only a pleasure and I appreciate the fact that he could take time to talk to me and getting advice from a South African sporting legend can only help me for Saturday’s game”.

Special message

In addition to the messages of goodwill that Bartlett conveyed through Ndungane and Pietersen to the Boks, he also wrote an e-mail where in he described how the 1995 World Champions Springboks played a huge role in inspiring him to doing his best during the 1996 CAF Africa Cup of Nations which Bafana Bafana won. Bartlett in the e-mail conveyed the best wishes to the Springboks on behalf of the entire Chiefs family; the emotional and inspirational e-mail sent by Bartlett has been put up in the Springbok team room at their Paris base.

Kaizerchiefs.com would like to thank Vusi Kama Springbok Media Manager for making it possible for The Amakhosi to get to convey their best wishes to the Springboks.