Mouritz Botha

Mouritz Botha

Full name	Mouritz Botha
Date of birth	January 29, 1982 (1982-01-29) (age 29)
Place of birth	Vryheid, South Africa
Height	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	112 kg (17 st 9 lb) [1]
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Lock
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2006–2009 2009 –	Bedford Blues Saracens F.C.	73 67	(55) (5)
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2011 - 2011 -	England Saxons England	3 1	(0) (0)

Mouritz Botha (born 29 January 1982 in Vryheid, South Africa) is a rugby union player who plays for Saracens in the Aviva Premiership.^[2] He joined English club Bedford Blues in 2006 and made 73 appearances before moving to Saracens F.C. in 2009.^[3] Botha was named in the 2011 England Saxons squad for the Churchill Cup after qualifying for England on residency grounds.^[4] In 2011 he was selected in the England 44 man squad for the 2011 World Cup and made his England debut in the 23-19 England victory over Wales.

Bedford Blues

Botha joined Bedford Blues from Bedford Athletic in 2006 and was a mainstay in the Bedford team. His performances for the Bedford team got the attention of many different people including the selectors for the East Midlands team. Botha was selected for the East Midlands team to play in the match against the Barbarians. These performances eventually got the attention of the incoming Saracens head coach Brendan Venter and he was signed for Saracens in 2009.

Saracens

Botha started the 2009/10 season having just signed from National League One side Bedford Blues, but he finished it as one of the Premiership’s most consistent second rows and pushing for international honours with England.

2009–2010 season

Botha was signed for Saracens in the summer of 2009 from the National League One team the Bedford Blues. He made his debut on the 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 fan's favourite. The season ended in an appearance in the Guinness Premiership Final for Saracens. He again came on as a substitute in this game. Overall in the 2009-2010 season he had 32 appearances and scored 1 try.

2010–2011 season

Mouritz Botha played for Saracens during the 2010-2011 season. Mouritz played a vital role in helping Saracens to win the 2011 Aviva Premiership. Along the way he made 27 appearances and was named in the 2011 Sky Sports Dream Team. As a reward for his fantastic performances during the season he was named in the 2011 England Saxons squad for the Churchill Cup. He made his debut in the 87-8 victory over the USA. After his performances for the Saxons, Mouritz was selected in the full England squad and made his debut against Wales.

2011-2012 season

For Mouritz this season is his third for Saracens and has continued his role as a first team regular hoping to help the team to repeat and possibly better their success of the previous season. So far this season he has made 8 appearances.

References

1. ^ "Aviva Premiership Rugby - Saracens". web page. Premier Rugby. http://www.premiershiprugby.com/premiership/rugby/saracens.php?section=1. Retrieved 24 September 2011. 
2. ^ "Goode calls tune as Saints learn Sarries' victory song off by heart". independent.co.uk. 2010-05-17. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-union/club-rugby/goode-calls-tune-as-saints-learn-sarries-victory-song-off-by-heart-1975128.html. Retrieved 2010-11-09. 
3. ^ "Saracens sign Botha from Bedford". bbc.co.uk. 2009-06-16. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/saracens/8103510.stm. Retrieved 2010-11-09. 
4. ^ "BBC Sport - Saracens prop Matt Stevens included in England Saxons squad". BBC News. 2011-05-31. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/13595933.stm. Retrieved 2011-08-07. 

External links

• Saracens profile

Persondata
Name	Botha, Mouritz
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	29 January 1982
Place of birth	Vryheid South Africa
Date of death
Place of death