Birth name | Brendon James Botha | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 4 January 1980 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Durban, South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 112 kg (17.6 st; 247 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Durban High School, Durban Kloof High School, Durban | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Brendon James Botha, better known as BJ Botha (born 4 January 1980) is a South African former rugby union player. He played as a prop. He is now a housemaster and rugby coach at Glenstal Abbey School. [1]
Botha played in the Currie Cup and Super 14 the Sharks. He played in all 13 Super 14 matches in 2006 and was one cap shy of a half-century in the domestic Currie Cup.
He signed for Ulster on Thursday 14 August 2008 on a three-year deal, and left the province in May 2011.
Botha signed for the Irish province Munster on a two-year contract in February 2011, starting in the 2011–12 season. [2]
He made his Munster debut against Scarlets on 17 September 2011. [3] His first Heineken Cup game for Munster was against Northampton Saints in November 2011. He scored his first try for Munster in January 2012, in the Heineken Cup round 6 game against Northampton. [4]
Botha scored a match-winning try for Munster in their final Pro12 game against Zebre on 3 May 2013. [5] He signed a two-year contract extension with Munster in May 2013. [6] Botha signed a six-month contract extension with Munster in March 2015, meaning he will stay with the province until at least December 2015. [7] He won his 100th cap for Munster in the 2015 Pro12 Grand Final on 30 May 2015. [8] In November 2015, it was announced that Botha's contract with Munster had been extended to June 2016. [9] Botha started Munster's opening pool game of the 2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup against Treviso on 14 November 2015, scoring a try in his team's 32–7 win. [10] On 9 January 2016, Botha ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament during Munster's match against Stade Français. The injury ruled him out for the foreseeable future. [11] In May 2016, it was announced that Botha would leave Munster at the end of the 2015–16 season. [12]
After leaving Munster, Botha joined French Top 14 club Lyon as a medical joker ahead of the 2016–17 season, [13] before joining Biarritz, who played in the Rugby Pro D2, France's second tier league, ahead of the 2017–18 season. [14] Botha retired from rugby at the end of the 2017–18 season. [15]
Botha has played 25 times for the Springboks and has one try to his name. He was a member of the South Africa squad that won the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
In May 2009, Botha was named in the Barbarians squad to play England and Australia. [16] [17]
Paul Jeremiah O'Connell is an Irish former rugby union player and coach. When he retired, he was Ireland's third most-capped player (108) and the eighteenth most-capped international player in rugby union history. During his career, O'Connell captained Munster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions. He is now the forwards coach for the Ireland national men's team.
Peter Alexander Stringer is an Irish former rugby union player who played at scrum-half. He played 13 seasons with Irish province Munster from 1998 to 2011; he then played seven seasons from 2011 to 2018 in England with various teams — Saracens, Newcastle Falcons, Bath, Sale Sharks and Worcester Warriors. Internationally, Stringer represented Ireland and the Barbarians. He announced his retirement from rugby in June 2018.
John James Hayes is a retired Irish rugby union player who played in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup for Munster. He didn't start playing rugby until he was 18; prior to this he played with the local Cappamore GAA hurling club. It was his size that enabled him to overcome his late start to the sport. He continues to "follow GAA in Limerick very much and especially hurling".
Mark Chisholm is a retired Australian rugby union player. Chisholm usually played as a lock, but could also cover blindside flanker.
Anthony Horgan is a former Irish rugby union player, who played for Cork Constitution, Munster and Ireland. He played the majority of his rugby as a Winger.
Eusebio Guiñazú is an Argentine rugby union player. His usual position is as a prop or hooker.
Denis Hurley is a former Irish rugby union player, who represented Munster and Ireland. He played as a fullback, wing or centre.
Felix Jones is an Irish rugby union coach and former player. He played primarily as a fullback, but could also play on the wing. In October 2015, Jones was forced to retire from rugby due to a neck injury. He moved into coaching after retiring from playing, and is currently Defence coach with the England national team. He is the great grandson of Alfred Edwin Jones.
Gerhard Jacobus van den Heever is a South African-born Japanese rugby union player for the Sunwolves in Super Rugby and Kubota Spears in the Top League. His regular playing position is as a wing.
Danny Barnes is a New Zealand-born, Irish rugby union player. He can play either centre or wing.
Dave Foley is an Irish rugby union player for French side Pau in the Top 14 and European Rugby Challenge Cup. He plays as a lock.
Luke O'Dea is an Irish rugby union player. He can play at either fullback or wing.
Shaun Payne is a South African-born, Irish-qualified retired rugby union player. He qualified to play for Ireland because his grandmother is from Easkey, County Sligo.
Francis Saili is a New Zealand rugby union player, currently playing for French club Racing 92. He plays primarily as a centre, though he can also play wing. He is the younger brother of Blues loose forward Peter Saili.
Sean Dougall is an Irish former rugby union player, and current coach. He played primarily as an openside Flanker but could also play blindside or No.8. Dougall is currently the contact skills coach at La Rochelle in the French Top 14.
Cian Bohane is a former Irish rugby union player. He played primarily as a centre, but could also play on the wing. Bohane played his club rugby with Dolphin.
John Lacey is a former Ireland A and Ireland Sevens rugby union international and current rugby union referee. As a player, Lacey spent most of career with Shannon in the All-Ireland League. He also represented Munster. As an international referee he has taken charge of matches in the Six Nations Championship, the Rugby Championship and the Rugby World Cup. He also refereed the 2013 Pro12 Grand Final and the 2015–16 and 2016–17 European Rugby Challenge Cup finals.
The 2014–15 Munster Rugby season was Munster's fourteenth season competing in the Pro12, alongside which they also competed in the new European Rugby Champions Cup. It was Anthony Foley's first season as head coach.