Cardiff academy graduate, James Botham, signed his first senior deal with the club in April 2019, having made his league debut against Connacht earlier in the season.

Botham follows in the footsteps of his father, Liam, who represented the Blue and Blacks in the 1990s, while his grandfather is England cricketing great, Sir Ian Botham.

The back row forward was educated at Sedbergh School in Cumbria – whose alumni include Will Greenwood, Tomas Francis and Will Carling – and has represented Wales under-18, under-20, Seniors and Sevens.

After overcoming a series of injuries, the flanker broke into the first team scene at the Arms Park and his impressive club form led to a call up for Wales in the autumn 2020 campaign.

Winning three caps in his debut campaign with Wales, Botham would go on to play a part in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations success and scored his first international try against Canada the following summer.

Botham regained his Wales position in the Six Nations of 2024 and performed well, scoring on his return to the Welsh setup.