Arno Botha highlights the great paradox of a finals week: 'Training is far more relaxed'

Arno Botha has now been around the block long enough to tell you that preparation for a final is actually far less hectic than one would believe.

In fact, it's downright relaxed.

And, upon reflection, it's not difficult to understand why.

After a 20-match season, the Bulls and Stormers really aren't still be in the business of coming up with fancy new plans for Saturday's United Rugby Championship (URC) showpiece at the Cape Town Stadium.

Essentially, you're operating on auto-pilot, crystal clear in thought as to what has been working ... or not.

"A finals week is markedly more relaxed," said Botha, who's been an unsung hero of the Bulls' loose trio.

"I don't think it's just that you're not going to learn anything fundamentally new within a week, your body has also taken shots for a long time. If anything, it's now conditioning that kicks in."

Yet Botha, who during hard lockdown in 2020 upon his high-profile return to Loftus told Sport24 that he's become a real student of the game, is too meticulous not to still absorb a few lessons before the big showdown.

"There are always a few finer details that you can still work on. You can definitely still get something out of a week like this one," he said.

"It's still about being open-minded. Maybe you will still dig up something of value, not necessarily skill-wise but definitely from a mental perspective. 

"In terms of physicality, a week like this is less severe on the body. It's just about boxing cleverly. We're not going to make 180 degree turns on plays or tactics. If you do that and it comes off, then you're really very good.

"For us, it's not the plan. We're calm and we know what we want to do."

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