BJ could be player 32

06 November 2012 - 02:08 By CRAIG RAY in Dublin
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BJ Botha, playing for Irish team Munster, holds off George Pisi of Northampton. Botha might get a call-up for the Boks, whose coach is looking for a tighthead prop used to northern hemisphere rugby Picture: MATTHEW LEWIS/GALLO IMAGES
BJ Botha, playing for Irish team Munster, holds off George Pisi of Northampton. Botha might get a call-up for the Boks, whose coach is looking for a tighthead prop used to northern hemisphere rugby Picture: MATTHEW LEWIS/GALLO IMAGES

Munster's BJ Botha could be the 32nd player to join the Springbok touring party in Ireland after coach Heyneke Meyer expressed concern about cover at tighthead in Dublin yesterday.

There had been speculation that Northampton tighthead Brian Mujati, who has 12 Bok caps, would join the squad. But that idea has apparently been shelved.

Mujati still doesn't have a South African passport, and, as he is no longer living and working in South Africa, he fails on residency grounds. The only way he could resume his international career would be to move back to South Africa at some stage, so for now the Bok management has moved on from pursuing him.

"At the beginning of the year I was most worried about the forwards, especially lock and tighthead," Meyer said.

"We lost three world-class locks but our forwards have done well, and in every match they've been in the game. I am worried about No5 lock, but at this stage the main concern is tighthead.

"Jannie du Plessis has been awesome. He was named as one of the top 10 players in South Africa, but I think he was in the top three.

"However, he's played every game this year and performed well. But I'm worried about cover, which is why I've been looking overseas. Top tightheads mature at 29 or 30 and I need to have a look at who is available.

"I've been in contact with most of the overseas-based players and I don't want to amplify something that isn't there, but Brian [Mujati] has played some of the best rugby of his career, he's well respected and Northampton has one of the best scrums.

"In Super rugby and Four Nations there are fewer scrums, but in northern hemisphere conditions, every scrum is a battle and a contest and you need a different type of player. You need a guy who can put opposition under pressure, because here they scrum for penalties.

"There are other guys such as Heinke van der Merwe and others who are on standby and in the vicinity."

But with Mujati's residency issues, it's clear the only tighthead Meyer could have been be referring to is Botha, 32, who played the last of his 25 Tests against Australia in 2010.

Van der Merwe, 27, is a strong loosehead and has been in good form for Irish province Leinster. As he is based in Dublin it would be easy for Meyer to call him in. But it won't solve the tighthead issue.

There is some doubt about the fitness of Toulouse's Gurthro Steenkamp, who is with the Boks in Ireland, and if he is unable to play then Van der Merwe could well add to his single Bok cap, which was earned against Wales in 2007.

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