Burden relishing cup challenge of facing old master Botha

He may come to regret it on Sunday but BJ Botha has played a fairly significant role in developing Toulon’s Craig Burden into a top-class hooker.

Both are from Durban and when Burden decided to switch from being a winger to a hooker, Botha took him under his wing at Natal Sharks and taught him a few of the dark secrets of the front row.

“I learned a hell of a lot from BJ so it’s going to be a great experience to play against him,” Burden said.

“It was a big change, it was a big challenge making the change but I’ve learnt a hell of a lot from the players that I’ve played with and the squads that I’ve been in.”

Burden spent seven years with the Sharks before moving this season to France, and Toulon is everything he expected it would be.

“It’s an amazingly talented squad. It’s a great lifestyle, great, I’ve settled in so well, it’s been so welcoming from the players to accept me into the team. We’ve got two competitions running concurrently with each other but it’s been a fantastic, amazing experience from day one.

“Just the way I was welcomed into the team, it made it so much easier just to fit into the squad.”

He knew little or nothing about French rugby but the transition from South Africa has been made easier because the Côte d’Azur is very like his homeland.

“It’s fantastic, it’s so similar to Durban. We’re right on the coast as well, beautiful beaches, fantastic people so passionate and they’ve welcomed me so much since the day I’ve been here, so it’s been great to get a positive welcoming from the fans as well as the players, and it’s made it so much easier just to slip in.”

He said their bid to retain the Heineken Cup and put successive Top 14 final defeats behind them and capture the Bouclier de Brennus for the first time since 1992 was demanding but they are now looking no further than Munster next Sunday.

“We’ve got to treat it as another game. We know how important it is for the Toulon supporters and we’ve got to play for them,” said Burden.

“We had a good win against Leinster, we know it’s a different ball game this weekend and they’ve got a lot of different strengths all other the field. We know what’s coming, we know what we’ve got to deliver as well so it’s going to be a hell of a match.

“We know where their strengths are, but I think that we’ve got a lot of strengths as well so it’s just going to be interesting to see who delivers better on their game.

“We know they’ve got a hell of a pack. We know that old BJ Botha’s been playing great rugby, I’ve played alongside him but at the moment I’m playing alongside Carl Hayman so that’s the great quality of players that there is on both sides,” added Burden.

That’s some company for a former winger to be keeping on the field but Burden is taking it all in his stride, as he bids to wrap up his first year in Europe with silverware.