Jaen Botes made his UAE debut a year ago but he admits he will still get butterflies travelling with the squad to participate in the Asia Rugby Championship series in Uzbekistan.
Apollo Perelini and his 25-man squad jet off to Tashkent on Sunday ahead of a Division II semifinal clash with the hosts on Wednesday.
Abu Dhabi Saracens behemoth Botes, 25, made his UAE bow as the country impressed in Malaysia 12 months ago, narrowly missing out on promotion following a 20-19 defeat to the hosts. He has since gone on to feature for the UAE in sevens and has been named in Perelini’s squad for the upcoming ARC series.
He may be a 6’ 4”, 117kg specimen, but the South African No8 admits to still feeling nervous pulling on the jersey of his adopted country.
“It’s funny. I think the butterflies will start kicking in when we get to the airport,” said Botes. “Everyone’s been talking about the trip and getting excited about spending time together.
“We’ve been training together for a long time and we just want to implement what we’ve been taught. And we want to go out and enjoy ourselves, but the butterflies will kick in when we get there. I’m very excited.”
Despite the pain of last year’s series, Botes denied feeling there is a sense of unfinished business at international level.
“I wouldn’t say so. It’s a totally new tournament,” he said. “We’ve got to focus on what’s ahead of us. What we’ve done is behind us. I don’t think anyone reflects on that. We’re all looking ahead. It’s a new year and a new tournament. It’s exciting times.”
