Jake White's Bulls to lose Arno Botha to France - report

The Vodacom Bulls are reportedly set to lose Arno Both to Lyon, just a year after he returned to Pretoria.

Botha, an explosive ball carrier who plays flanker and number eight, played his entire professional career with the Blue Bulls before moving to London Irish in 2018.

From there he moved to Irish province Munster for two seasons, before returning to Jake White’s Bulls in the second half of 2020.

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Six Nations Review and Sinckler’s Sauna | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 21

Luke Cowan-Dickie, Six Nations Review and Sinckler’s Sauna | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 21

We’re joined by England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie this week as the Six Nations squads take a break after two rounds of action. We hear from the Exeter Hooker about his journey with England and the Lions, his relationship with Eddie Jones and of course that volleyball moment in Edinburgh during the Calcutta Cup. Max and Ryan give their thoughts on the weekend battles in Cardiff, Paris and Rome, pick their team of the week and look forward to the rest of the tournament.

A former South Africa U20s captain, he featured for the Springboks on two occasions in 2013.

Now – according to Rapport in South Africa – Botha, who has captained the Bulls, is set to return to Europe to take up a lucrative offer with Lyon.

It’s a bit of a blow for White, who most recent tenure at the Bulls has been typified by his brilliance in the recruitment department.

Botha rose to prominence for South Africa U20s during the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship, scoring six tries on his way to being named South Africa Under-20 Player of the Year.

His rise in stock earned him a call-up to the Springbok senior set-up two years later, when he made his debut against Italy in Durban. Highly thought of by the Blue Bulls, Botha signed a contract extension with the Pretoria-based club the same year.