James Botham
| Full name | James Ian Botham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 22 February 1998 Cardiff, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 108 kg (238 lb; 17 st 0 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School | Sedbergh School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) | Liam Botham (father) Ian Botham (grandfather) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Ian Botham (born 22 February 1998) is a Welsh professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for United Rugby Championship club Cardiff and the Wales national team.[1]
Early life
[edit | edit source]The grandson of all-round cricketer Ian Botham, James was born in Cardiff while his father Liam Botham was playing for Cardiff RFC as a wing. After his father moved to Newcastle Falcons for the 2000–01 season, James was educated at Sedbergh School, a boarding school in Cumbria.[2][3]
Club career
[edit | edit source]Cardiff
[edit | edit source]Botham joined the Cardiff academy in 2016, and in the 2018–19 season started making appearances for the senior team, initially in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, and then debuted in the Pro14 against Connacht Rugby. Botham signed his first professional contract with Cardiff in March 2019.[4][5]
Botham was selected as Man of the Match against the Dragons on 26 December 2020.[6] Botham signed a contract extension on 25 April 2024.[7]
International career
[edit | edit source]Wales U18 and U20
[edit | edit source]Botham made his debut for Wales U18 on 25 March 2016 against Scotland under-18 at St. Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground, Swansea, scoring a try in the 31-30 victory.[8] Botham made his first appearance for Wales U20 in the 2017 Six Nations Under 20s Championship.[9]
Wales Sevens
[edit | edit source]In early 2017, Botham was selected by Wales Sevens for the World Rugby Sevens Series, making his first appearance during the New Zealand leg.[10]
On 16 November 2020, Botham was called up to the senior Wales rugby side for the Autumn Nations Cup tournament.[11] Botham made his test debut against Georgia on 21 November 2020, starting on the blindside.[12] He started the following two matches of the tournament, against England and Italy.
Wales
[edit | edit source]Botham was selected in the squad for the 2021 Six Nations Championship, making three appearances off the bench as Wales won the championship and Triple Crown.[13]
Botham retained his place in the squad for the 2021 July rugby union tests, and score his first try for Wales in the win over Canada.[14] Botham made two further appearances, starting both matches against Argentina.
Ahead of the 2021–22 season, Botham underwent shoulder surgery, which ruled him out of the 2021 end-of-year rugby union internationals.[15] Botham was not selected for the 2022 Six Nations squad, having suffered a head injury just prior.[16]
Botham was recalled by Wales for the 2024 Six Nations Championship, and scored a try against Scotland, but injured his knee and was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.[17]
In Wales final fixture of the 2024 Autumn Nations Series, Botham scored a late try in a 45-12 defeat to South Africa. Despite the result, this try would prevent Wales from sustaining their greatest margin of defeat in a home loss in an international fixture.[18]
Career statistics
[edit | edit source]List of international tries
[edit | edit source]| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 July 2021 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales |  Canada
|
12–5 | 68–12 | 2021 July rugby union tests |
| 2 | 3 February 2024 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | File:Flag of Scotland.svg Scotland | 5–27 | 26–27 | 2024 Six Nations |
| 3 | 23 November 2024 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales | File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa | 10-45 | 12-45 | 2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals |
as of 22 October 2025[update]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:External_links at line 369: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- James Botham at Welsh Rugby Union
- Cardiff profile