As Wales prepare to face Ireland in Dublin on Friday evening, James Botham is ready to make his first start of this year’s Six Nations Championship campaign.

After nearly a year away from international action, and returning for the first time off the bench against Scotland, the back-row forward is relishing the opportunity to pull on the red jersey once more, this time from the first whistle.

“Getting back out there was good fun, as it had nearly been a year since my last appearance,” Botham explained. “You don’t always expect to come on as early as I did, but it was great to be involved.

“You could really feel the improvement in the team – the celebrations, the little wins within the game. Obviously, we didn’t get the result we wanted, but there’s a lot to build on going into this week.”

Competition for places in the Welsh back row remains fierce, with plenty of options for coach Steve Tandy to choose from. It doesn’t make opportunities any easier when there are a range of players who are also able to cover multiple positions, such as our own Alex Mann, but this is something Botham knows only too well.

“It’s absolutely rammed. It’s one of the hardest positions to get into, especially in Wales. When you get your opportunity, you’ve got to take it. It’s about conquering that challenge and trying to stick in.”

Following his return to action against Scotland, Botham was involved in much of the play across the pitch. While he enjoyed the atmosphere, he was also involved in an incident where a quick restart from Finn Russell resulted in a try for Darcy Graham. International rugby offers little margin for error, and Botham is the first to admit that the pace and intensity at this level demand constant focus.

“It was loud – even when the boys were screaming, I couldn’t hear them. But that’s a positive in a way. It shows how passionate the crowd is.”

“It all happens so fast,” he reflected. “At this level, you can’t switch off at any point. If you do, things can go against you quickly. But it’s happened now – you can’t look back. You’ve just got to make sure it doesn’t happen again and focus on the next job.”

“You often get advice or encouragement from your teammates, as I’ve had it every single day from the boys,” he laughed. “And even Grandad had something to say from the other side of the world. I tried to avoid the call, but when the FaceTime popped up, I knew what was coming!”

“From a young age, after every game there’d be that dreaded call with Dad – you never knew if it was going to be good or bad. He’d tell me straight how it is. I think that’s helped me down the line.”

“He didn’t say too much on FaceTime – just looked at me and smirked! But he was chuffed that I was back out there. Apart from that one little thing, I felt good about the whole game.”

After being away from the international limelight for over a year, Botham admits his heart skipped a beat when he saw Wales head coach Steve Tandy’s number flash up on his phone ahead of being called into the squad.

“Usually when you get a call it can be to say you’re not involved, so my heart sank a bit at first. Then he said it was good news.

“To get that call back into the squad was an amazing feeling – especially playing in front of a full crowd like that. My first cap was during COVID, so I’ve never really experienced that kind of atmosphere before. It was incredible.”

“Between 2021 and 2024, that felt like a long time at points. But this last year has gone quickly. It just shows you’ve got to keep your head down, do your job for your club, and hopefully your time comes again.”

Next up for Wales is a trip to Dublin to face Ireland, a side Botham has yet to meet at Test level. Despite a slow start to their campaign, Ireland will be full of confidence after their impressive 42-21 victory against England at Twickenham in the last round of fixtures. Wales also have an interesting record in Dublin, with their last Six Nations victory there coming in 2012 – something Botham is keen to change this Friday.

“It’s another marker for us,” he said. “We know we haven’t won out there for several years, so it’s about putting in a performance and showing what we’ve got.

“I don’t tend to overthink things. If you start overthinking, teams can seem better than they are. Everyone’s human – we’re all just playing rugby against each other. I’ll do what I’ve got to do, the team will do what we’ve got to do, and everything else will pan out.”