Arno Botha, playing for Munster, is tackled by Rabz Maxwane of the Cheetahs during a Pro14 match in Ireland. Picture: Sportsfile/Gallo Images
Arno Botha is excited about the chance to earn his place back in the Springbok team, and to do that the 28-year-old loose forward knows he must perform exceptionally well for the Bulls, starting with Saturday’s SuperHero SuperFan match against the Sharks at Loftus Versfeld.
Botha played his two Tests for South Africa back in 2013 and much water has passed under the bridge since then, including Jacques Nienaber becoming the fourth Springbok coach in that time. He’s also had three knee surgeries and a move to Europe in 2018 which saw him play for London Irish and, with great success, for Munster.
But now he is back with a Bulls side that he represented brilliantly for 82 games in all competitions between 2011 and 2017.
“It’s awesome to be back. The Bulls have always been a part of my life,” Botha said on Monday.
“The best thing is the system [Bulls coach] Jake White has going now, the way we are training, I’m really enjoying it.
“It’s always been my dream to play for South Africa again and there’s no better chance of doing that than this one. If I can show why Jake has backed me, which is an honour for me, then I give myself a chance.
“I’m here to play for the Springboks. That’s something I’m working towards and it would be the cherry on the cake, the ultimate. That’s my dream.
“What makes it even more exciting is that there are probably 20 loosies who all want to play for South Africa, and that gives me energy. But my focus is on now and what’s the plan tomorrow for me to get better, to get fitter and stronger.”
Arno Botha during a training session with the Bulls in 2016. Picture: Gallo Images
It may be SuperHero SuperFan day on Saturday, but Botha says he shouldn’t be expected to figuratively don a cape and tear the Sharks to shreds singlehandedly.
Neither should one expect anything startlingly new from the Bulls, even though White’s appointment as director of rugby has brought so many changes in personnel.
“I haven’t played at Loftus for a while, so it’s a new start anyway for me and we just want to play good rugby,” he said.
“We have trained enough to say we’re ready and another week or two of contact won’t make a difference. Jake has handled things well and we have the perfect plan.”
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
