According to reports, the Stormers are negotiating with Ulster to get former Sharks prop BJ Botha released on loan to shore up their rapidly-dwindling prop reserves.
Promising utility front-ranker JC Kritzinger is just the latest Stormers heavy to go down injured and with little established depth now available to them, Rassie Erasmus and Alistair Coetzee would appear to be scouting the globe to find a Super 14-quality replacement to join them on a short-term basis.
Botha, while a superb prop, is probably a pretty strange choice, given that both Kritzinger and the other long-term casualty, Wicus Blaauw, are primarily looseheads. Botha is very much a tighthead only, but I guess JD Moller, himself in the process of converting from 1 to 3, could move back to the loosehead side if the likeable Bok comes into the squad.
If Botha does obtain the necessary approval from Ulster and manages to agree terms with the Stormers, his first game could be against his former teammates, the Sharks, in Durban next weekend. More on this as it develops.
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How ridiculous…. 🙄
The guy has played for nobody else but the Sharks while in SA.
Will be sad to see him in another colour. 🙁
can’t say I relish the thought of playing against BJ. Wonder how he’d feel about scrumming against Smitto… they’re great mates
@KSA Shark © (Comment 2) : it will just be a temporary thing if it does happen. I firmly believe that BJ is still planning on returning to the Sharks next year.
@robdylan (Comment 4) : As far as I know his first choice would be to come back to the Sharks.
I must say, once Jannie got his way and tantrumed his way into the Sharks starting line-up he has really impressed me (and believe me I’m NOT a fan, too much Tjietah blood in his veins).
So I’m not too worried about losing BJ to the Streamers.
If you were the other squad props you wouldn’t be relishing locking horns with the Crusaders on Saturday
…if you knew you were about to get the sack the following weekend !
Well at least he will be playing in the right Blue! 😆
@RugbyGal (Comment 8) : No such thing as the right blue…blue is poo
😉
Black and White, nothing else
@RugbyGal (Comment 8) : well me tend to agree rather Stormers than Bulls but like firethelooser said any blue is wrong only swart en wit vir ons se fans
😉
@RugbyGal (Comment 8) :
Yeah if it had to be blue then I’d prefer dark blue.
well look at it this way we loan from Bulls and Stormers loan from Black and White 😳
@Chaz (Comment 12) :
Ok then loan Lambie for us as well! 😮
@RugbyGal (Comment 13) : 😯 no way 👿 now you are going to far my friend let him be 😆 he is a B&W not Blue
@RugbyGal (Comment 13) : now you’re about to start a war 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 15) :
But why? 🙄
He is so cute! He would fit right in with a Stormers Blue Jersey! (I heard a rumour Joe is going to Ireland 😡 )
@robdylan (Comment 15) : she 👿 😈 and agree with you 1000% 😉
@RugbyGal (Comment 13) : 😆 😉 no hard feelings
@RugbyGal (Comment 16) : and me looks great in a B&W so does he so sexy sexy and still young for that matter 😆
@Chaz (Comment 19) :
I just wanna adopt him! 😳
Kanko will also look way better in a Stormers jersey!
@RugbyGal (Comment 16) : @Chaz (Comment 19) : What have our manly game of rugby degressed to? 😯 😆
@FireTheLooser (Comment 21) :
Hey now – My hubby never complains bout my dreaming and drooling. At least I watch every game with him! And enjoy it too!
@FireTheLooser (Comment 21) : oh my do you really want to know we are having a thing for this game and the young ones well they can teach who to kick a rugby ball eeeaaahhhh
😉
@RugbyGal (Comment 22) : tell him it just in the name of the game
@Chaz (Comment 23) :
Me think we can teach them alot! 😉
@RugbyGal (Comment 25) : ja i know but left it for you to tell
@Chaz (Comment 26) : 😳
Well I don’t like to lie!
i can assure you the stormers fans are eagerly awaiting more news here….excited at the prospect….Brock Harris has played all games so far and we are short of a prop….only have 1 loosehead and 1 tighthead and a utliity Argentinian.
really hope we get BJ….best 3 in sa .
@grant10 (Comment 28) :
What????????? you think he is a BETTER 3 than Smit??????????????? 😛
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) : LOL
Funny thing is he may be up against smit on may 8….
BJ is the best saffa 3 by a country mile.
smit is the worst….
there…i said it. But smit not a bad 1 ….he holds his own and at times dominates…very impressive.
@grant10 (Comment 28) : best 3 in sa ….don’t you mean 2nd best? Captain Black (John Smit) surely has the number 1 spot.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 29) :
😆
@FireTheLooser (Comment 31) :
And BJ isn’t even IN SA.
Come on Rob, I know you got more info on this!!! 🙂
The mere fact that Gavin Rich broke this does not give me any sense of calm about this.
@Morné (Comment 34) :
Rich is about as reliable as the pork supply in KSA.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 35) : 😆 😆 😆
I gave away very little about what I know when writing this 😉
@robdylan (Comment 37) :
Spill it!
@KSA Shark © (Comment 35) 😆 Was it not him that wrote that Butch was going to the Stormers too?
Think we should just wait and see if it happens. Also Stormers need a LH not a TH. Think BJ only plays TH.
@robdylan (Comment 37) : @Morné (Comment 38) : yes spill it we are family
@Puma (Comment 39) : gee butching going to Stormers oh my
hey only joking 😉
@Puma (Comment 39) : i would love to see that puma of yours as a pic that you had on but not 🙄
@Puma (Comment 39) : Yip I think it was.
About next season. Ulster fans, are convinced his contract will be linked to European rugby AND Magners (in a Keo interview in Feb he only mentioned European comps). Some claim to have spoken to him in which he said he’ll still be there if they have a chance in the Magners.
This concerns me. As linking to European competition and Ulster dropping out of them, means he is highly likely to play an entire Super rugby season in 2011. However linking it to Magners league also, could mean that a) he plays no Super rugby, in which case pointless b) He only comes to SA at best in April, as Magners league is round robin like Super rugby. Even badly performing sides have a technical chance of making the knockouts until very late in the competition – for example the Sharks still have a ‘technical’ chance of first place in this years Super 14, nevermind the playoffs.
If he’s going to the Stormers next season, I don’t care much anyway and actually hope they don’t get to play him much.
As soon as I heard SARU were involved (as they’ll be paying most of the salary), I basically gave up hope.
SARU is dominated by the big 5 unions, the top tier is a Hoskins/Verster/Noord Vrystaat + a few others, alliance against van Rooyen originally, but later Stofile & co. and the threat the Spears (created before Hoskins, by van Rooyen, whatever McKeevar and Mark Keohane say) posed both unions. Below this however, the agenda is mainly dominated by WP and Bulls interests, with KZN having little say. This isn’t the sort of area Hoskins will deal with, it’s more Marinos’ area. I know Marinos went to school in Durban and played for us, but he’s also a Matie and played for WP/Stormers – it’s hard to tell where he stands.
When we got Percy on a similar deal, Marinos was not in place when the deal was made. He was CEO of the Dragons/Newport though (the side Percy played for), he wouldn’t have been able to decide which team Percy played for at that end of the deal. Perhaps more tellingly, the Stormers played the Dragons in Dubai pre-Super 12 season 2005 and that was a deal Marinos put together.
Can’t say I trust SARU much in their dealings with the Sharks down the years, and what I percieve to be a mostly long standing pro-WP agenda.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 43) : Yips so rather wait to see first. Also BJ still has a great home in Durbs.
At least our match officials for this game look good.
All South African.
Ref: Kaplan
Assistants: Jaco Peyper – Reuben Rossouw.
TMO: Shaun Veldsman.
Stormers/Saders
Ref: S. Dickinson (AUS)
Assistants: Pro Legoete (SA) Andrew Lees (Aus)
TMO: Shaun Veldsman.
@Chaz (Comment 42) : Sorry Chaz, could not get it to come up. So will stay with the pug for now 😛
@Puma (Comment 45) :
Any news on whether Walsh has been removed from the brumbies game yet?
Giteau to get a Yellow 😉 😛
@KSA Shark © (Comment 47) : Have not heard anything. Think Walsh will still ref the Brumbies this weekend. Gits propably will play. Read he may not play but cant see that happen. Probably just get a talking too 🙄
Cheers KSA, out of here now.
Just hope Ruan is fine to play and Alberts. With out those two we in big trouble.
@Puma (Comment 46) : are still on
@Puma (Comment 46) : guess nt but anyway if you do read this one which i hope you do 🙄
go to the above adress on the screen press it and at the same time press ctrl and F5 and it should come up me had the same problem and did that and it worked
so hope we will see the puma my friend 😆
I still believe within the inner Shark in me, that BJ will still look towards the Sharks, who have been a great union and home to him.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 47) : Confirmed Walsh is removed for the ACT game.
Now I ask you, when we had problems with referees in the past, why didn`t we raise a stink like this? Seems the Sharks management would rather roll over and die than fight for the team. . .
@REM SS (Comment 52) : It depends on whether the Sharks want him back. Sharks would be his first choice but it is not only his decision… As a supporter I would hope the Sharks would get him back.
@lostfish (Comment 54) : as far as I’ve been lead to believe, it’s kind of up to the Sharks to make things happen with BJ.
@robdylan (Comment 55) : Thats what I was thinking.
Can we start a send Jannie back to Vrystaat or to the Stormers and bring BJ back to the Tank petition??
@lostfish (Comment 56) :
I remember the Stormers tried to sign Jannie a few years back but he chose Durban.
Thank goodness that happened!! 😆 😎
let’s give Jannie his due… he’s been bloody good the last few weeks.
@wpw (Comment 57) : Lucky for you guys
@robdylan (Comment 58) : That is true but before he was rather pedestrian
@robdylan (Comment 58) : Can’t say I rate BJ much higher than Jannie anymore.
Jannie has been very solid indeed.