Naas Botha will forever be a household name in South Africa, having established himself as one of the greatest Springbok flyhalves of all time during an unforgettable career.
His playing career included 28 appearances as a flyhalf for the Springboks, in which he scored 312 points as he became renowned as the game’s greatest goal kicker.
On the provincial stage, Botha donned the Northern Transvaal (Blue Bulls) jersey in 179 matches, 128 of those as captain, amassing 2 511 points in the process.
After retiring, he dabbled in coaching, which included managing the 2002 Junior Springboks, leading them to victory in the World Rugby U20 Championship.
A couple of years ago, Hoërskool Eldoraigne announced the appointment of Botha as their Director of Rugby, which was at a time when he had become a familiar face on SuperSport as an analyst.
Naas Botha has now made a move abroad
For those who may be wondering where Botha is now, there is talk that the iconic former flyhalf and his wife, Karen, have made the move to Kansas in America to be closer to their daughters.
The move is apparently primarily a family-driven decision as two of his daughters, Gaeby and Lee-gre, moved to the U.S. on athletic scholarships.
Both daughters are talented soccer players. Gaeby played for Kansas State University, and Lee-gre followed a similar path in the collegiate system.
What is he doing there?
Even in Kansas, he hasn’t left sports behind, having apparently lent his expertise to local sports programmes, particularly in kicking and high-performance mindsets.
Botha still occasionally contributes to South African rugby discussions and podcasts via video link, and some say he has become a bit of an unofficial ambassador for the South African expat community in the U.S., often appearing in interviews to discuss the challenges and joys of immigrating and maintaining South African culture abroad.
It’s a full-circle moment for him – after his brief 1983 stint with the Dallas Cowboys – Botha is settling into a new chapter of life.
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