Naas Botha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Naas Botha

Botha playing a game of rugby
Birth name	Hendrik Egnatius Botha
Date of birth	(1958-02-27) 27 February 1958 (age 67)
Place of birth	Breyten, Transvaal, South Africa
School	Hoërskool Hendrik Verwoerd
University	University of Pretoria
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 1987–93 Rugby Rovigo 119 (1731) Correct as of 11 August 2014 Correct as of 11 August 2014 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 1980–92 South Africa 28 (312) 1986, 1992 World XV () Correct as of 11 August 2014

Hendrik Egnatius 'Naas' Botha (born 27 February 1958) is a famous former rugby union player from South Africa. He played in the fly-half position for the Northern Transvaal team, the Italian club Rugby Rovigo, and the South African national team, also known as the Springboks.

Botha was a superstar in the world of rugby. He was named the SA Rugby Player of the Year four times, in 1979, 1981, 1985, and 1987. After retiring from playing, he became a rugby commentator on TV and helps coach young players.

A Star from a Young Age

Naas Botha was born in the town of Breyten, South Africa. As a kid, he was a talented athlete who was good at many sports. He dreamed of playing professional baseball and was also a great cricket player, tennis player, and hurdles runner.

However, his amazing talent in rugby stood out. While studying at the University of Pretoria, he was chosen for South Africa's under-20 rugby team. His performance was so impressive that he quickly moved up to the main national team.

On April 26, 1980, at just 22 years old, Botha played his first official international game, or Test match, for the Springboks.

The "Nasty Booter" on the Field

Botha was famous for his incredible kicking skills. He could kick the ball with amazing accuracy using either his left or right foot. This skill earned him the nickname "Nasty Booter" from the British press during a tour in 1980.

He was especially good at drop-kicking the ball through the posts during very tense moments in a game. He was also known for being a smart player who understood the game's strategy very well.

While some people said he didn't like physical contact, Botha was great at passing the ball to his teammates. His quick and accurate passes helped his team score many tries. The famous rugby coach Danie Craven once said, "Give me Naas, and I'll conquer the world!"

For many years, Botha held the record for the most points scored in Springbok history, with a total of 312 points in just 28 matches.

Success with the Blue Bulls

Besides playing for the Springboks, Botha played for his home province, Northern Transvaal, from 1977 to 1995. The team, nicknamed the "Blou Bulle" (which means Blue Bulls), was very successful with him. They won the Currie Cup, South Africa's top rugby competition, nine times. Botha was the team's captain a record 128 times and scored a record 2,511 points for them.

A Career Affected by Politics

In the 1980s, Botha's international career was affected by events happening in South Africa. At the time, South Africa had a system of laws called apartheid, which separated people by race. Many countries around the world protested these laws.

In 1981, the Springboks toured New Zealand. The tour was met with huge protests against apartheid. Because of these political issues, the International Rugby Board banned South Africa from international rugby.

This ban meant that Botha and other great South African players could not play against other countries for many years. He continued to play amazing rugby in South Africa, but he missed out on a large part of his international career.

Playing in Other Countries

During the time he played, rugby was not a fully professional sport, and players were not officially paid large salaries. Botha believed he could earn more as a professional athlete.

In 1983, he was invited to try out for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football team, as a placekicker. The try-out didn't lead to a contract, so he returned to South Africa.

Later, Botha moved to Italy to play for the club Rugby Rovigo from 1987 to 1993. He had a fantastic career there, helping the team win two national championships. He is still remembered as a hero by rugby fans in Rovigo.

Return to the Springboks

The ban on South African rugby ended in 1992. This allowed Botha to play for the Springboks again before he retired. He played in matches against Australia and New Zealand and toured France with the team.

His final game for the Springboks was against England in London on November 14, 1992. Even though his international career was cut short, Naas Botha is still remembered as one of the greatest rugby players in South African history.

Personal Life

Botha is married to Karen, who was also a talented athlete for South Africa, holding records in the long jump. They have three daughters.

Career Stats

Summary

Test Match Record

This table shows Naas Botha's record in his 28 international Test matches for South Africa.

No.	Opposition	Result (SA 1st)	Position	Points	Date	Venue
1.	South American Jaguars	24–9	Fly-half	12 (3 con, 1 pen, 1 drop)	26 Apr 1980	Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
2.	South American Jaguars	18–9	Fly-half	14 (1 con, 1 pen, 3 drop)	3 May 1980	Kings Park, Durban
3.	British Lions	26–22	Fly-half	6 (3 con)	31 May 1980	Newlands, Cape Town
4.	British Lions	26–19	Fly-half	10 (2 con, 2 pen)	14 Jun 1980	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
5.	British Lions	12–10	Fly-half	8 (1 con, 1 pen, 1 drop)	28 Jun 1980	Boet Erasmus Stadium, Port Elizabeth
6.	British Lions	13–17	Fly-half	3 (1 pen)	12 Jul 1980	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
7.	South American Jaguars	22–13	Fly-half	10 (2 con, 1 pen, 1 drop)	18 Oct 1980	Wanderers Club, Montevideo
8.	South American Jaguars	30–16	Fly-half	6 (3 con)	25 Oct 1980	Prince of Wales Country Club, Santiago
9.	France	37–15	Fly-half	17 (4 con, 3 pen)	8 Nov 1980	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
10.	Ireland	23–15	Fly-half	11 (1 con, 3 pen)	30 May 1981	Newlands, Cape Town
11.	Ireland	12–10	Fly-half	12 (1 pen, 3 drop)	6 Jun 1981	Kings Park, Durban
12.	New Zealand	9–14	Fly-half	5 (1 con, 1 drop)	15 Aug 1981	Lancaster Park, Christchurch
13.	New Zealand	24–12	Fly-half	20 (1 con, 5 pen, 1 drop)	29 Aug 1981	Athletic Park, Wellington
14.	New Zealand	22–25	Fly-half	10 (2 con, 2 pen)	12 Sep 1981	Eden Park, Auckland
15.	United States	38–7	Fly-half	6 (3 con)	20 Sep 1981	Owl Creek Polo ground, Glenville, New York
16.	South American Jaguars	50–18	Fly-half	15 (6 con, 1 drop)	27 Mar 1982	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
17.	South American Jaguars	12–21	Fly-half	8 (1 con, 2 pen)	3 Apr 1982	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
18.	New Zealand Cavaliers	21–15	Fly-half (c)	17 (1 con, 3 pen, 2 drop)	10 May 1986	Newlands, Cape Town
19.	New Zealand Cavaliers	18–19	Fly-half (c)	14 (1 con, 4 pen)	17 May 1986	Kings Park, Durban
20.	New Zealand Cavaliers	33–18	Fly-half (c)	21 (1 try, 4 con, 3 pen)	24 May 1986	Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
21.	New Zealand Cavaliers	24–10	Fly-half (c)	17 (1 con, 5 pen)	31 May 1986	Ellis Park, Johannesburg
22.	World XV	20–19	Fly-half	12 (1 try, 1 con, 2 pen)	26 Aug 1989	Newlands, Cape Town
23.	World XV	22–16	Fly-half	14 (1 con, 3 pen, 1 drop)	2 Sep 1989	Ellis Park, Johannesburg
24.	New Zealand	24–27	Fly-half (c)	9 (3 con, 1 pen)	15 Aug 1992	Ellis Park, Johannesburg
25.	Australia	3–26	Fly-half (c)	3 (1 pen)	22 Aug 1992	Newlands, Cape Town
26.	France	20–15	Fly-half (c)	10 (2 con, 1 pen, 1 drop)	17 Oct 1992	Stade de Gerland, Lyon
27.	France	16–29	Fly-half (c)	11 (1 con, 2 pen, 1 drop)	24 Oct 1992	Parc des Princes, Paris
28.	England	16–33	Fly-half (c)	11 (1 con, 2 pen, 1 drop)	14 Nov 1992	Twickenham, London

Legend: pen = penalty (3 pts.); con = conversion (2 pts.), drop = drop kick (3 pts.).

See also

In Spanish: Naas Botha para niños

• List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 502