Munster eighthman Arno Botha was the standout South African player on show in the eleventh round of the PRO14 competition.
The Irish side thrashed the Southern Kings 68-3 in their bonus-point victory in Cork this past weekend, with Botha scoring a hat-trick in the process.
The back rower opened the home team’s account by pulling away from the back of a scrum five metres from the Kings’ line, and powering past two defenders to dot down under the posts.
First blood to @Munsterrugby
Early pressure from the hosts pays off as Arno Botha opens the scoring against @SouthernKingsSA
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Watch Live Now on @SuperSportTV#GuinnessPRO14 #MUNvKIN pic.twitter.com/jTrHy9m61x— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) February 14, 2020
Botha then bagged his second try after running a superb line to collect the ball and canter over from the Kings’ 22, just before the half-hour mark, as the hosts took control of proceedings.
The former Vodacom Bulls loose forward completed his hat-trick five minutes from full time, when he received a pass out wide to go over untouched for Munster’s penultimate try.
Despite not collecting the man-of-the-match award for his efforts, Botha – who earned two Springbok caps in 2013 – made a telling all-round contribution in what was the Irish province’s biggest-ever PRO14 win.
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