A former Springbok flanker will continue his French adventure next season after signing a two-year deal with Pro D2 side Nevers.
Thirty-four-year-old Arno Botha will head north-west from Lyon once the current Top 14 campaign concludes, bringing an end to a three-year stint with Les Loups that began in 2022.
Botha arrived at Lyon after spending two seasons back at the Vodacom Bulls, marking his second spell in Pretoria after starting his professional career there. It was during that first Bulls stint that the hard-nosed loose forward earned his two Springbok caps in 2013.
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His career has since taken him across some of the game’s toughest competitions. Botha joined London Irish in 2018 before a two-season stay at Munster, where he linked up with current Nevers prop Keynan Knox – a familiar face awaiting him in central France.
While Nevers currently sit ninth on the Pro D2 table, the move could yet see Botha back in the Top 14 as early as next season. The French second tier’s promotion race remains tightly packed, with Nevers just three points adrift of sixth-placed Aurillac, the final playoff spot, and more than half the season still to play.
Lyon, meanwhile, find themselves in 12th place on the Top 14 standings. Karim Ghezal’s side are comfortably clear of relegation trouble, holding a 13-point buffer over 13th-placed Montauban, while bottom side Perpignan trail them by 22 points.
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In Europe, Lyon’s Challenge Cup campaign has got off to a difficult start. They suffered back-to-back defeats against the Dragons and Newcastle Red Bulls, with Botha missing the opening-round loss to the English side before featuring off the bench in the defeat to the Welsh outfit the following week.
Photo: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
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