Mouritz Botha
Date of birth | 29 January 1982 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Place of birth | Vryheid, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 114 kg (17 st 13 lb)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mouritz Botha (born 29 January 1982) is a former
Bedford Blues
Botha joined
Saracens
Botha was signed for Saracens in the summer of 2009 from the National League 1 team the Bedford Blues. He made his debut on 5 September 2009 in the London Double Header against London Irish. He came on as a substitute in the 60th minute for fellow Saracens lock Hugh Vyvyan. Mouritz was a success in his first season for Saracens and quickly became a fans' favourite. The season ended in an appearance in the Guinness Premiership Final for Saracens. He again came on as a substitute in this game. He made a total of 32 appearances in the 2009–2010 season, scoring one try.
Botha played a vital role in helping Saracens to win the
In Botha's third season for
During the season, Botha made his 100th appearance for the club in the 40–7 win over
Sharks
After spending five-and-a-half seasons at Saracens, Botha returned to South Africa prior to the 2015 Super Rugby season, signing for Durban-based side the Sharks.[9] He made eleven appearances for the Sharks in the Super Rugby season, but could not prevent them having a disappointing season, missing out on the finals series by finishing fourth in the South African Conference and 11th on the overall log.[10]
Newcastle Falcons
After just one season at the
International career
Although he was born in South Africa, Botha qualified for England on residency grounds, having moved to England in 2004. Botha impressed with his performances for Saracens on the way to them becoming the Aviva Premiership champions and this led to him being named in the 2011 England Saxons squad for the Churchill Cup.[5] In 2011, he was selected in the England 44-man squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup and made his England debut in the 23–19 victory over Wales, although he eventually missed out on selection for England's World Cup Squad.
Botha played in every game of England's
References
- ^ "Saracens – First Team Squad". Saracens. Archived from the original on 8 September 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
- ^ a b "Concussion forces Botha retirement". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Hewett, Chris (17 May 2010). "Goode calls tune as Saints learn Sarries' victory song off by heart". independent.co.uk. London. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ "Saracens sign Botha from Bedford". bbc.co.uk. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Saracens prop Matt Stevens included in England Saxons squad". BBC Sport. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ "Leicester 18-22 Saracens". BBC. 28 May 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
- ^ Rees, Paul (20 January 2013). "Chris Ashton helps Saracens see off Edinburgh to reach quarter-finals". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "England 15-16 South Africa". BBC Sport. 24 November 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ "Mouritz Botha joins Sharks" (Press release). Sharks. 5 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "SA Rugby Log – 2015 Vodacom Super Rugby". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ "Newcastle Falcons land ex-England lock Mouritz Botha in three-year deal". Chronicle Live. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ "Mouritz Botha seals Kingston Park move" (Press release). Newcastle Falcons. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ "South Africa 14-14 England". BBC Sport. Retrieved 18 November 2021.