In an exhilarating start to the season, Reece Botha shares insights into the NOLA GOLD remarkable opening-week victory, setting the tone for what promises to be an unforgettable season. From overcoming initial challenges on the field to executing a stunning play that captivated fans and media alike, Reece, a flyhalf from Johannesburg, South Africa, discusses the importance of teamwork, the impact of family support, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. As they look ahead to their next match against Anthem RC, the conversation highlights the team’s focus areas and Reece’s personal commitment to the sport.
Q: Take me through the emotions of the dressing room after a huge win in opening week.
A: It’s tough to describe. So much hard work went into the preseason and the stakes of the game were pretty high. We wanted to get off to a good start — we know that’s something we’ve struggled with in the past. Knowing that we can come out of “bad” games like that with a win is hugely important?
Q: You described the game as “bad” — up until a certain point, it was definitely tough to get traction on offense. Why might that be?
A: I think it was just one of those days…we weren’t playing poorly necessarily, but there was a lot of good play that was slowed down by a bad pass or a bad decision at the end of the sequence. Whenever we get inside the 22, we want to walk away with points, which is unfortunately the area of the field where we lost the ball the most. It’s important to capitalize on the good rugby and convert it into points.
Q: Once we made the breakthrough, it felt like we were in complete dominance over the flow of the match. Is that tactical, psychological, or something else?
A: I think it’s a little bit of everything. Once we got the upper hand, we knew we had to keep it; if we gave them the chance to get back into the game, who knows how it could have turned out. We wanted to maintain that “compete to win” mindset throughout — guaranteeing that we don’t switch off in the last five minutes.
Q: Last year, we had difficulty closing out games. Tell me what this win means for the team’s confidence with a long schedule ahead.
A: I think it does a lot for our confidence. With that being said, we want to stay grounded; like you said, it’s a long season. These small victories at the start of the season go a long way though. Later in midseason, they can help a lot. It can get really difficult to turn things around if you start poorly, so this win was huge.
Q: Your performance was absolutely key in the result of the fixture. How would you rate yourself for week one?
A: It was loads of fun out there — I’ll definitely say that. It feels really good to help the team out the way that I did. I know the boys were working hard for the first 60 minutes, so to help them get over the line meant a lot for me.
Q: The clear highlight of the game was your solo carry which led to a chip kick for Tani to run on to. Is that something the team rehearses, or was that a moment of pure instinct?
A: We do train that sort of counterattacking play — we have landmarks that we want to target — but if I’m being honest, a little bit of instinct took over. I saw that there was some space on the left side. When I came out of that first bump, I was a little surprised that I was stil on my feet. From there, it was all about finishing the play, like we’ve talked about. I was lucky that [Taniela] was there next to me and he had the legs to finish off a really good try for us.
Q: That highlight is all over the news. Does that fuel you?
A: It’s all about staying grounded and being part of the team. Getting wins for the team is most important. Seeing that play on Instagram is a nice bonus, though, I won’t lie about that.
Q: I heard your family was in attendance. Does that give you a boost?
A: They drove down from St. Louis for this week. They’re staying until after our next fixture against Anthem. It’s always a boost to have them around. I just want to make them proud when I’m on the field. They’ve worked so hard to put me in this position, so it’s on me to pay it back to them with good rugby.
Q: Without giving too much away, what was the conversation at half time that led to a dominant second half?
A: It was all about belief. Like I said, it’s not that we were playing bad rugby, it was just about converting our opportunities and keeping the belief that we can close out this rugby match.
Q: Let’s shift our focus towards Anthem RC. What areas of the pitch are we really focused on for this week and what are going to be some keys to victory?
A: They’re a solid side; the scoreline (against New England) may not reflect the strength of their team. There’s a lot of good to take away from that game for them. They’re a young side, so they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They have some good runners down the middle, so we’ll be alert for that. We want to put in a consistent performance and use this game as a building block in a long season.
Q: If you could have GOLD fans remember one thing about you as a player, what would it be?
A: I love this game. It’s been a dream of mine to play professionally. Now that I’m doing that, I just want people to understand how much I love and appreciate the game of rugby.
