Super Rugby Legends - Scrumming down with Gary Botha
In the fourth part of a Super Rugby Legends Series, Trevor Cramer travels down memory lane with former Bulls hooker Gary Botha.
When one makes reference to the popular slogan ‘My Blood is Blue’ then it could well have been referring to former Blue Bulls/Bulls hooker Gary Botha.
Following a professional career spanning 11 years -- spent predominantly at Loftus Versveld, with short spells interspersed at the Shark, Harlequins in England and French club Toulouse, Botha has come full circle.
He is now part of the Bulls Super Rugby coaching staff and also consults to Tukkies in the Varsity Cup.
But as the affable Botha tells us, the transition from player to coach would always present it’s challenges. That much is evident if one looks at the Bulls’ current woes, as Nollis Marais and his back-up staff find themselves in the eye of a severe storm.
Yes it hurts no doubt for a man who was part of a great generation of Bulls and Springbok rugby. Four Currie Cup Finals, two Super Rugby finals and a World Cup medal for his country attests to that.
He even had the privilege of making his Springbok debut in 2005 against Australia on his beloved home patch, Loftus, replacing then skipper John Smit – certainly big boots to fill.
But Botha knew that like a magnet, he would somehow always be drawn back to the Bulls once his playing career had wound down.
Botha represented the Blue Bulls/Bulls at every age group level and carried over his passion for developing the game after hanging up his boots three years ago by imparting his knowledge at schoolboy level.
From all the experiences in his career one is rarely incorrect in assuming that the remarkable triumph over the Sharks in the 2007 Super Rugby Final, like most of his fellow Bulls legends, stands out as a personal highlight for Botha.
Like in any sport, there were low-lights too and he singles out the potentially career-ending broken right leg in 2011 at Toulouse which left him on the side lines for nearly five months.
Botha shares his concerns and tries to shed some light on the reasons for the lingering wisdom tooth pain in South African rugby right now – the increasing exodus of South African players to ply their trade abroad.
He has some incredibly insightful information to share on the pitfalls of coaching in a high performance environment and getting players to buy into a common goal and then executing it on the field.
“One thing you have to realise very quickly and never forget – you still work with people and what as a coach you can equip those people with regardless of where their careers take them.”
Botha has a message for the fans, who are no doubt hurting at present as memories come flooding back to the disastrous 2002 season which saw Heyneke Meyer lose his job. The rest, of course is history.
And we wrap it with a quick quiz – get to know what Gary’s favourite foods, music, movies and his newest passion – cooking.
Gary Botha has faced some formidable opponents on the field, but none tougher surely than the challenges facing the Bulls magement right now as a talented group of players try salvage what is left of a season from hell.