Rugby Union
Botica played domestic club rugby union for North Harbour and Llanelli and spent a period in France. Botica also played rugby league for Wigan Warriors and Castleford Tigers.
Botica appeared for New Zealand Māori (between 1985 and 1989), New Zealand Emerging Players (1985), North Island in the 1986 inter-island match, the national sevens side in eight international tournaments between 1985 and 1988 and for the Anzac XV that played the British Lions in Australia in 1989. He even appeared in the Super 12: once for the Chiefs in 1998.
In the early part of his Rugby Union career he was a rival to Grant Fox for the All Blacks number 10 jersey. Botica was regarded as more a running player whereas Fox was considered a superior kicker and it was his rival who eventually won the selectors' favour, forcing Botica to the bench and restricting the number of Union tests he played.
He was a part of the first ever New Zealand sevens team to win a Hong Kong Sevens title.
He is ranked 5th in the top 5 North Harbour legends.
Read more about this topic: Frano Botica
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