Having made his name with the All Blacks before figuring prominently for a Wigan side who are still considered one of the greatest outfits in English sporting history, Botica became one of the first global superstars to ply his trade in Welsh club rugby when the game turned professional.
At that stage Botica was a player ahead of his time and his arrival was a huge coup for the town of Llanelli and their famous rugby side.
“I was at Castleford in Super League and I had a few games for Orrell in rugby union when Llanelli came in and paid a huge transfer fee,” Botica remembers.
“Llanelli were very ambitious and they were a serious player in European club rugby at the time so I decided to join them. Their history was also appealing.
“Stuart Gallagher became involved in negotiations and he was great. Gareth Jenkins was the coach at the time and he was very good with me. He’s a big character and extremely passionate.
“I really enjoyed working under him.”
Frano Botica’s exceptional talent was obvious during his time in Llanelli
While Botica is unfairly associated with the financial turmoil which preceded his time at Stradey Park, it is easy to forget just how much of an influence he had on Welsh rugby.
Here was a unique talent who brought a different level of professionalism to domestic rugby in Wales and who was known to win games almost single-handedly.
Botica added: “The games that really stood out were when we played French clubs in the Heineken Cup. Man they were brutal! The French players used to say a few abusive things.
“I could speak French so I knew what they were saying. There was one game against Pau at Stradey which was pretty mental. There was abuse thrown around and punches going everywhere.
“I actually got headbutted in that game so it was pretty rough! Back in those days they did whatever they liked.
“They’d kick you, punch you and they were very dirty. The Welsh derbies were also an eye opener.
“The rivalry was very strong and they were extremely passionate. In those days Welsh rugby was extremely tribal.”
Botica (centre) watches Wales train in 2017 with former forwards coach Robin McBryde (left) and son Jacob (right)
Botica continued: “I was at Llanelli for 18 months and even though I absolutely loved most of my time there, I left pretty unhappy which wasn’t great.
“They told me if I wanted to leave, I could. I saw the writing on the wall. The new sponsor coming in didn’t want to inherit old debt. I ended up leaving Wales having lost a lot of money.
“I want to make absolutely clear I don’t blame most at Llanelli. I was extremely close to Stuart who was a good friend of mine while the players and all the staff were great.”
