NSW Waratahs prop Dan Botha is ready to take his opportunity after being named to start over Wallaby Taniela Tupou for Saturday’s match against Moana Pasifika.
Botha will make his debut start after a long road back to the Waratahs, missing the majority of 2024 with an Achilles injury.
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First emerging on the scene during the Australia U18s side that defeated NZ Schools in 2019, Botha has impressed coach Dan McKellar with his improvement in 2025.
“He’s developed really nicely around set-piece and we’ve spoken around about physicality and what it looks like for his game,” McKellar said.
“He’s in good shape and worked hard. He got some feedback after the Brumbies trial and took that on board and has really got after it. He deserves the opportunity and has earned that.”
Botha was pushed in pre-season by the arrival of Tupou and Siosfia Amone from other Super Rugby clubs.
However, the tight-head kept his focus on proving what he could bring different to the team as he sought to add physicality to their pack.
“The key points in my game has always been scrum dominance which Dan Palmer has led as well and that physicality around maul defence and destroying people in rucks,” Botha told rugby.com.au at the start of the year.
“I’ve learnt so much off Taniela (Tupou). He’s a genetic freak and we’re very different body shapes so I do have to understand we do play a bit of a different game but the depth in that position has been awesome.
“I think naturally we’re always going to compete with each other, that’s the nature of the sport, but at the end of day, it’s knowing your strengths and weaknesses and just working on them.”
Botha starts alongside great mate Angus Bell, battling against each at school before bonding during their rise through the Waratahs system.
“Angus is one of my best mates off the field. He's been really, really important for me,” he said.
“…He was in the year above me at school (where Bell was at Newington, Botha at Scots) and always looked up him. I played my first game in 2023, and he was out for most of the year with an injury, which was disappointing, and then last year, we were both out.
“I’m really looking forward to hopefully playing alongside him. He’s one of my best mates and love him to death.”
Botha is also heavily involved in causes off the field, a proud ambassador of ‘Rio’s Legacy’, which was founded to improve services that support children with life-limiting conditions and seeks to increase children’s hospices in Australia.
The 23-year-old came involved after former teacher Ryan Fowler created the charity after his son Rio tragically died a few years ago.
Botha and Wallabies and Western Force lock Jeremy Williams are both ambassadors, with the pair raising awareness during their round three clash at Allianz Stadium.
“Currently, we’ve only got one in NSW, and it’s basically a place where terminally ill children and their families can live in the final stage of the child's life,” he explained.
“We're looking to build a second hospice in Western Sydney and I’m just helping whatever I can raise awareness through the Waratahs.”
Seeing what families and children were going through was a big eye-opener for Botha as he recovered from his Achilles injury.
“At the time I was putting a lot of pressure on myself in terms of selection and things I had to do and I probably wasn't in the best place mentally, but it gave me a lot of perspective,” he said.
“I've come back stronger mentally and physically. It was a tough thing to go through, but it definitely made me a better person on the other side.”
