The ex-Springbok back row dreaming of a Test recall
Ex-Springbok flanker Arno Botha is dreaming of a recall to the national team in July after his form skyrocketed in this season’s Guinness PRO14. Botha scored a hat-trick of tries against Southern Kings last Friday night when Munster side ran riot in a season when he is consistently impressed for the Irish province.
The ex-Bulls loose forward, who was capped twice for the Springboks before injury curtailed his national chances, has delighted those watching him in the PRO14 to such an extent that the performances may well catch the eye of the South African management.
While loose forwards are never a position where there isn’t an overflow of talent in South Africa, Botha admits he still dreams about pulling the Test jersey over his head once more. “It will always be something (I want). It isn’t something that will die easily. I still have the desire to be the best, even though it might seem like a long road.
“I will work every day as if it is the day I can perform to my optimal form. I always say if I stop hoping to play for South Africa then I might stop playing rugby. Then there is no motivation to do it,” he explained. “I love rugby and love playing at the top level. To play for your country is the best way to prove that. I definitely have hope for that.
“If it is more difficult to do it from Munster, then it is fine and it is a challenge. I knew that going there. The guys in the team are doing a good job and they deserve it. You can’t take anything away from that team at the moment – they perform to a high level.”
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Botha added that while most SA players in Europe would be looking towards the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour, he is hoping to catch the selectors’ eye for the upcoming July Test games against Georgia and Scotland.
“That is definitely one of my goals. Not just 2021 but 2020 June Tests, November Tests, Tri-Nations. But the first step is to perform week in and out for Munster and I can’t do more than that. They can’t pick me if I don’t do what I have to do. It is up to me to do it.
“My motivation is there and I’m excited to challenge myself against guys I’m playing against. I have to challenge myself to be better than them. That excites me every week to see if I can do it.”
After several years where injuries curtailed his game, Botha’s time at Munster has been the answer to his prayers. His injuries are gone and now he is enjoying every minute he gets on the playing field. “I think back about it a lot. If you think about the injuries in 2013 and 2014 on my knees, and then couldn’t get a break in 2015 – where I got a hammy, a back injury and my shoulder. Then in 2017, I had a shoulder, so it didn’t work out well.
“But now I’ve played more than 30 games without niggles. I’m very blessed and fortunate. The guys at Munster look well after me and I’m enjoying my time there. The team makes it easy for me. I’m fortunate to be in a team that is top five in Europe at the moment.
“I enjoy my work because I’m at one of the top clubs and anything else is just an add-on. If it is already great, then there aren’t a lot of things that can go wrong. There aren’t going to be too many people who are bad if the team is top five in Europe.
There's a family feel about Munster's latest set of contract announcements.https://t.co/Iexbl7Vxkz
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 27, 2020
“It is difficult to get to a mindset where I say I’m in the same form because it was five or six years ago (when I last played Test rugby). It is a long time but I’m not far off it. I don’t think I’ve been this fit and strong and feeling good about myself in a long time. You get confidence from playing.
“Maybe I’m there, but I don’t know it. Rugby has changed so much since then that maybe I am there. My challenge to myself is to get better every day. It doesn’t matter what I am doing, whether it is defence, attack or tackling, I just want to get better at it and try to be the best at it. What better place to be doing it than at Munster.”
WATCH: Schalk Brits speaks to RugbyPass about bringing the William Webb Ellis trophy back to South Africa
Comments on RugbyPass
NZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
22 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
22 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
22 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
22 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
22 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
22 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to comments