The Sharks needed to beat the Bulls scoring four tries to break into the top four, but eventually fell two points short of their goal on home soil in Durban. Despite leading 19-10 at one stage the Sharks were unable to hold onto their advantage and were left dreaming of what might have been.
The Bulls' fightback came after they had two players sent to the sin-bin in the first-half. One of them, centre JP Nel, was cited along with Botha after the game for his swinging arm tackle on Sharks full back Stefan Terblanche. Both cases will be heard on Monday afternoon.
The worry for Botha now is that he could miss this weekend's semi-final clash at Loftus Versfeld against the Crusaders. Worse still, a two week ban would see him ruled out of a potential final against the winners of the second semi-final, the Chiefs and Hurricanes.
After that, he will be on duty for the Boks in their bid to gain revenge over the British & Irish Lions in the three Test Castle Series.
There was further worrying news for Springboks coach Peter de Villiers as his first choice outside half, Ruan Pienaar, limped out of the contest in Durban with an injured ankle. There were also concerns over Bulls centre Wynand Olivier, who damaged his hip.
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