They couldn’t have asked for a tougher examination of their breakdown talents playing against Wales and British & Irish Lions star Justin Tipuric. It was an especially pleasing return to action for Botham, who had been sidelined since injuring his hamstring in November.
But after patiently biding his time, he finally laced up his boots once more and produced a stand-out performance in the 29-20 victory at Rodney Parade. Such was the level of his performance that Botham was in line to claim the man of the match award before he was pipped at the post by Jason Tovey in the final five minutes.
“My last game was obviously away in Treviso in November, when I did my hamstring, so it was great to be back,” said Botham.
“I was lucky in a way to not miss that many games but on the other hand I would have preferred to be playing in the couple of weeks before lockdown.
“But that’s done now, I can’t do anything about it and it’s just about doing what I can to help the Blues and do my best for the team.
“It’s great to get out on the pitch again for the Blues. I can’t fault Tovey for his man of the match performance and he really helped us. We wouldn’t have played the way we did if he hadn’t stepped up and performed like he did.
“Individual performances follow on from the team performance and we got what we wanted and that was the win and performance we wanted.”
Botham was part of a dominant forward performance with several youngsters also impressing. The likes of Corey Domachowski and Seb Davies received plenty of plaudits, while Botham’s partnership with Lewis-Hughes in the back row received particularly praise.
Lewis-Hughes has already caught the eye of the Welsh selectors and looks to have a big future. But both he and Botham know they are going to have to remain at the peak of their form to stay in contention for a place in what is a highly competitive Blues back row.
“I love playing with Shane. We have played together through the 18s, 20s, and we have a nice little bond. He is a great guy, a great player and I enjoy playing with him,” added Botham.
“Wales is unbelievable for back-row talent but that’s making me and other players strive to be better and that will only benefit both the Blues and the national team.”
