Daniël Sarel 'Darius' Botha (26 June 1955 – 12 February 2018) was a South African
rugby union player.
Playing career
Botha played for the
Northern Transvaal under–20 side in 1974 to 1975 and made his debut for the Northern Transvaal senior side in 1976. He and his younger brother
Naas, played for Northern Transvaal in five Currie Cup finals from 1977 to 1981. In four of those five years,
1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
,
1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
,
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...
and
1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...
Northern Transvaal won the Currie Cup and in 1979 Currie Cup, 1979 they shared it with Western Province (rugby team), Western Province.
Botha played in only one test match for the Springboks, being the first test on the 1981 South Africa rugby union tour of New Zealand and the United States, 1981 tour to New Zealand at Lancaster Park, Christchurch. He also played in seven tour matches for the Springboks, scoring three tries.
Test history
Death
Botha was first diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2014. After an operation the cancer went into remission, but unfortunately in November 2017, the cancer returned and Botha died on 12 February 2018.
See also
*List of South Africa national rugby union players – Springbok no. 522
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Botha, Darius
1955 births
2018 deaths
South African rugby union players
South Africa international rugby union players
Blue Bulls players
People from Msukaligwa Local Municipality
Rugby union players from Mpumalanga
Rugby union wings