Former Springbok lock Bakkies Botha will be back in action for Toulon after almost two months on the sidelines for the clash with Bordeaux on Saturday and has insisted he will come back "stronger".
The ex-Bulls second-row suffered a fractured eye socket during his club's 62-0 rout of English club Sale in Heineken Cup action in mid-December and the 33-year-old required surgery.
He will now hope to play at least some part of the match as Toulon have Jocelino Suta on Six Nations duty with France while Simon Shaw is an injury worry, leaving Botha and Englishman Nick Kennedy as Toulon's only recognised options.
"(I'm) very well. I have totally recovered and I'm dying to get back out there. My injury is 100 percent cured and I'm not afraid of playing 80 minutes," Botha told reporters.
"Nick and I can put in a full stint this weekend. We will give everything."
Botha said he had been working hard on getting ready to resume and added: "The objective is to bring something back from the Bordeaux game.
Toulon currently lead the Top 14 standings by seven points from Clermont.
Botha said his aim was to "come back stronger - that's why I have been watching the matches I didn't participate in. We have a system which we all adhere to; we all have confidence in our coach Bernard Laporte, and that's crucial. We just have to fine tune the little details which make the big difference."
Comments
rugbyphile says...
APV 1 --suggest you try out for a job in the magazine titled Irrelevant Piffle---they are sure to be looking for windbags with nothing to say--and btw -next time you are standing next to Mr Botha --proudly show him your soooo humorous prose-- am sure a really tough keyboard puncher like you wouldn't be scared.
Posted 08:47 11th February 2013
APV1 says...
"My injury is 100 percent cured and I'm not afraid of playing 80 minutes," Botha told reporters.
Should have read,
"I'm not afraid of anything," Botha told reporters, "Except for little girls with pig-tails tied up with pink ribbon. They freak me right out and I can't bear it. I end up weeping in a corner, curled-up in the foetal position, sucking my thumb. I've given up crying out for my ouma and now weep silently."
Posted 18:12 07th February 2013