Ruan Botha (born 10 January 1992) is a South African

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

player. He plays as a

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

for Kubota Spears in the Japanese

Top League Japan Rugby League One (), formerly known as the Top League (), is a rugby union competition in Japan. It is the highest level of professional rugby competition in the country. The Japan Rugby Football Union created the competition in 2003, by ...

. He made his provincial debut on 31 March 2012 as the Golden Lions thrashed the Griffons 71–25 in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

. Botha started the match before being replaced in the 62nd minute by Hendrik Roodt. His first call-up to the Lions Super Rugby team came ahead of the side's Australian tour during the

2012 Super Rugby season The 2012 Super Rugby season was the second season of the Super Rugby Super Rugby is a men's professional rugby union club competition involving teams from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. It has previously included tea ...

. He made the starting fifteen for the first time in the match against the Chiefs in

Pukekohe Pukekohe is a town in the Auckland Region of the North Island of New Zealand. The town is located at the southern edge of the Auckland Region, between the southern shore of the Manukau Harbour and the mouth of the Waikato River. The hills of Puke ...

on 5 May 2012. Botha was named in the South Africa Under 20 team that won the

2012 IRB Junior World Championship The 2012 IRB Junior World Championship was the fifth IRB Junior World Championship, an annual international rugby union competition for Under-20 national teams. This competition replaced the now defunct Under 19 and Under 21 world championship ...

. He joined for the 2013 season. In May 2019, following three years with he signed for English

Premiership Rugby Premiership Rugby, officially known as Gallagher Premiership Rugby, or the Gallagher Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is an English professional rugby union competition, consisting of 10 clubs, and is the top division of the English rugby ...

side

London Irish London Irish RFC is a professional rugby union club that most recently competed in the Premiership Rugby, Premiership, the top division of rugby union in England. The club also participated in the European Rugby Champions Cup, European Champion ...

on an initial 6 month contract. He was due to return to Irish following the 2019–20 Top League season in Japan which he would spend with Kubota Spears. However, in July 2020 London Irish confirmed he would not be returning.

References

External links

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itsrugby.co.uk profile
Living people 1992 births South African rugby union players Golden Lions players Lions (United Rugby Championship) players Western Province (rugby union) players Stormers players Afrikaner people Rugby union locks People from Brakpan South Africa Under-20 international rugby union players Rugby union players from Gauteng Sharks (Currie Cup) players Sharks (rugby union) players Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay players London Irish players South African expatriate rugby union players in England South African expatriate rugby union players in Japan 21st-century South African sportsmen {{SouthAfrica-rugbyunion-bio-1990s-stub