From cursing his misfortune to hardly believing his luck, it has been some ride for James Botham so far this season.
First, he missed Wales’ entire autumn international campaign with a shoulder injury which required surgery.
Then, in November, his scheduled comeback was put on hold when he was ruled out of Cardiff’s trip to South Africa the day before they left because of a problem with his heel.
It was deeply frustrating for the nine-times capped back rower as he found himself having to stay at home.
But little did he realise just what a blessing in disguise it would prove to be.
It meant he avoided everything the Cardiff squad went through during their troubled trip, as they found themselves stranded and having to go through extended periods in Covid quarantine, first in Cape Town and then Crawley.
It also meant he was free to play in the Champions Cup matches against Toulouse and Harlequins, where he took a starring role in a cobbled together side to put himself firmly back in the Wales mix.
“The luck there was unbelievable,” says the 23-year-old.
“Originally, I was going to get on the plane to South Africa and get out with all the boys.
“It was the day before when I got told I wasn’t going. I had been running the week before and it wasn’t right, so they ended saying it’s not going to be worth it.
“I was absolutely livid and gutted. But then when they got stuck out there, I was thinking ‘How has this happened to me’?, with the luck of it.
“Then I got to play the two European matches. If I had gone out to South Africa, I wouldn’t have played any games for six months, which would have been way too long.”
Botham started against Toulouse and Harlequins in a Cardiff team made up of a batch of fellow Welsh internationals who didn’t make the trip to Cape Town, Academy youngsters and semi-pros.
He was a stand-out performer in two spirited displays from the Arms Park outfit, as he hit the ground running in impressive fashion after some five months out.
“It was a bit of a shock to the system, but it was great to be back and to be fully fit again,” he said.
“With the shoulder injury, it had always been getting worse every game. Being able to function and use my shoulders properly and actually being able to tackle again has made a hell of a difference.
“It was good to be out there and I couldn’t have asked for two better games to come back into.
“The fact it was just go out, enjoy yourself and play made a hell of a difference to everyone.
“I really enjoyed it. We were in the games for a lot longer than people thought we would be.
“The pride came not from my performance, but from how all the boys stuck in for so long.
“It was great seeing the way younger boys who hadn’t even been in the system before all stepped up and worked together.”
The versatile Botham wore No 8 against Toulouse and was then in his more accustomed openside berth for the Harlequins game.
Now he’s back at No 8 for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship game away to Edinburgh.
He has also figured on the blindside flank on occasion in the past, notably on his Wales debut against Georgia in November 2020.
So which position does he like best?
“Definitely 7. I always prefer it there,” he said. “But I enjoyed playing 8 against Toulouse and it will be interesting to see how this weekend goes again.
“It’s like learning a new position in my eyes because it’s only the third time I will have played it and the first of those was only four minutes off the bench in 2017. I am looking forward to it.”
Botham is also relishing the prospect of finally figuring in a full-strength Cardiff team again following the postponement of the festive derbies against the Scarlets and Dragons due to Covid cases.
“It was frustrating with those games being called off,” he admits.
“They are almost like a Wales trial I suppose, against all those boys.
“I was gutted with them being off. It will be really good to get back out with the boys in a full team.
“We have been training solidly for three or four weeks now and we’ve had no games, so it will be nice to get everyone back out there and start playing some rugby.
“I’ve only had two games this season, so the more the merrier really.”
Having been Wales’ starting openside for the three Tests against Canada and Argentina last summer, Botham had to watch on during the autumn as Taine Basham grabbed his chance in the position.
Now he will be hoping to force his way back into the equation with a call-up to Wayne Pivac’s Six Nations squad.
“It’s just about getting game-time and showing what I can do,” he said.
“If I get the opportunity again, it’s just taking that opportunity, like with everything.
“The thing is just keep doing what you are doing, keep your head down and hopefully get rewarded.”
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