Ettienne Botha

Ettienne Botha (8 April 1979 – 7 September 2005) was a South African professional rugby union player.^[1]

Ettienne Botha

Born	(1979-04-08)8 April 1979 Germiston, South Africa
Died	7 September 2005(2005-09-07) (aged 27) Pretoria, South Africa
Height	179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	89 kg (196 lb)
School	Hoërskool John Vorster
Rugby union career
Position Centre Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) Falcons - Blue Bulls Super Rugby Years Team Apps (Points) 2002–05 Bulls (30) (65)

Biography

Born in Germiston, Botha was a loose forward during his primary school years, before moving to centre in grade 10 at Hoërskool John Vorster, from where he earned SA Schools representative selection.^[2]

Botha proved to be a reliable Currie Cup try-scorer, playing initially with the Falcons, then the Blue Bulls from the 2002 season. He won three Currie Cup titles with the Blue Bulls and scored a competition high 18 tries in their successful 2004 campaign, including two in the final win over the Cheetahs.^[3] This earned him the team's "2004 player of the year" award and made him a serious contender for Springboks honours.^[4][5]

On the morning of 7 September 2005, Botha died at the scene of a car accident near the Botha Avenue offramp on the N1 in Pretoria. He had lost control of his Audi and struck a barrier, causing the vehicle to overturn.^[6][7]