Botham planning to pay tribute to ‘main man’ ahead of debut
WHEN he runs out to make his Wales debut against Georgia, James Botham will be fulfilling a promise to a lost relative.
The main man, to use Botham’s own words, was his great-grandfather Gerry Waller, who would be a familiar face on the touchline when the 22-year-old was taking the early steps on his journey to the top.
Botham estimates that Waller passed ‘four or five years ago’, but singles him out as a staunch supporter of his rugby ambitions.
“My family have always been there from day one helping me, shipping me around to places,” he said.
“Sadly, the main man who was there for all my games was my great-grandfather who can’t be there this Saturday.
“Before he died I did promise I would try to play for Wales and hopefully it would come. It is just a shame. He will be looking down on me from up there. Hopefully I can do him proud on the weekend.
“He was there every game and would come up afterwards with his packet of Jelly Babies. It was a good sight at the end of the game, especially as a kid.”
Botham then revealed that his greatgrandfather would be in his thoughts during the anthem today.
“Yes, 100 per cent,” he nodded. “He was always there from day one, coming down to Cardiff. It is about doing him proud now.”
The abrasive back-rower has come a long way in a short space of time. He will make his Wales bow having played just 13 games at professional level for Cardiff Blues.
It’s fortunate, then, that he is used to travelling long distances. He spent his early days trying to break into the Cardiff Blues set-up doing just that, with the former Cundall Manor School and Sedbergh School pupil regularly undertaking 500-mile round trips.
“I was born in 1998, and dad [Liam] played there [Cardiff RFC] between 1997 and 2000 then moved up to Newcastle,” Botham says.
“I had no option but to go there with him, my mum and brother. I was up there from about two years’ old. I was brought up in the north of England.
“I went to Cundall Manor School and then Sedbergh School.
“When I got called up for a trial at the Blues it was the lonely drive! I had just passed my test and within two months I was driving 500-mile round trips every week, sometimes twice a week.
“It was a lot of driving, strenuous, but it has all paid off in the end.
“I came straight down to the Blues when I was 18, so have been down here for four years.”
To say his commitment has paid off is putting it mildly. His rise has been remarkable and even his staunchest of fans would not have envisaged his call-up coming so quickly.
Last Sunday, he was heading off to bed thinking about what he needed to get right for the Cardiff Blues in their game against Benetton on Monday night.
Suddenly the call came down the line.
“I was in shock,” he recalled.
“I said: ‘what about the game tomorrow?’ I was in bed at the time, getting ready to go to sleep.
“And they said: you’re coming in’.
’that’s scrapped,
“It’s happened fast and I did not think this would be the case this week. I am over the moon and thrilled.
“Obviously since I was kid I dreamt of this moment. For it now to be a reality, it still hasn’t sunk in yet. I couldn’t thank everyone around me more for helping me get here and giving me the opportunity.
“They announced the team for the players and my name was on there. I was just looking at it thinking ‘this can’t be real!’ But it is. I can’t wait to go out there now.”
He added: “I rang my dad [Liam] as I knew he’d have a go at me if I didn’t speak to him! Then I spoke to my granddad [Sir Ian] before my brother, mum and the rest of the family.
“I told them to keep their mouths shut! I am gutted they can’t come, obviously with the regulations at the moment. Everyone is in the same boat, so we will get on with it as best we can.”
Botham comes from a proud sporting family.
After playing cricket for Hampshire, his father scored 42 tries in 72 games for Cardiff RFC in the late 90s and came tantalisingly close to an England cap during a tour of South Africa before enjoying a stint in rugby league.
His grandfather is cricketing legend Sir Ian, who is considered one of the UK’s greatest sportsmen having enjoyed a stellar career, playing in 102 Test matches and 116 one-day internationals, as well as playing senior football for Scunthorpe and Yeovil.
Now James stands at the door of becoming an international sports star in his own right, but his grandfather’s name has cast a long shadow.
“Yeah, everyone gives me grief about it – saying ‘your granddad couldn’t be more English if he tried!’ But I was born down here and since I was a kid I had the Welsh flag painted in my room on the wall,” said Botham.
“I always wanted to play for Wales and that’s why I’ve stuck to it and done the long journey from Sedbergh down to Wales to hopefully get myself in. It’s paid off.
“Everyone’s got their own opinions. You give people no reason to doubt and get on with it and there’s no going back really.”
His grandfather has a useful bank of knowledge when it comes to high-pressure environments, the all-rounder having scored more than 5,000 Test runs, taken 383 wickets and won Ashes series’.
But he doesn’t overdo it on the advice for fear of clouding the flanker’s mind.
“He doesn’t insists Botham.
“I think that’s the best way, as if you start thinking about it too much you over-think.
“He says: ‘be professional about it, ignore the haters you’ll always get, keep your head down and try and become the best you can and the perks come with it. Don’t get ahead of yourself. Enjoy yourself – that’s the main thing’.”
And so back to the present day. After just four days of training, Botham will don the famous red jersey.
It’s an intriguing selection by coach Wayne Pivac and many will watch with interest to see how Botham handles the occasion.
But if he can replicate his performances for Cardiff Blues so far this season and bring that physical edge that has been so prevalent in his game, then he should flourish.
“It’s getting out there and being physical,” he concludes. “Georgia rely on the set-piece to get them going forward and into the game.
“Bringing dominance, getting myself over the ball and doing what I can with the boys around me is my goal. Hopefully I can do them all proud and we come up with a W.
“With results previously we’ve been unfortunate. Everyone wants to kick on and I’m pretty sure we will.
“We’ve got a new mindset – the team has changed a fair bit, and I’m looking forward to it, that’s for sure.” say too much,”