Here are the latest rugby headlines on Thursday, April 13.
Botham backed to be in Wales World Cup mix
Wales and Cardiff back-rower James Botham has been backed to force his way into Warren Gatland's World Cup squad considerations.
Botham's Cardiff boss, director of rugby Dai Young, believes the 25-year-old's versatility is a major plus point.
The flanker has returned to regional action in recent weeks after undergoing surgery for appendicitis back in February, which ruled him out for two months. Happily, he is now recovered and is looking forward to Saturday’s crucial clash with URC play-off rivals Connacht out in Galway.
As for the World Cup on the horizon, Botham hasn't figured for Wales since winning his ninth cap against Argentina in July 2021, but his recent run of form has seen him mentioned as a potential contender for Warren Gatland’s World Cup plans.
Asked for his thoughts on the subject, Cardiff’s director of rugby Dai Young said: “I’m sure if he can stay fit he’s got to come into Warren’s thoughts because of his versatility in the back row. We have got a lot of sevens, but a lot of them can only play seven whereas Jim can play in other positions and excells in them. He’s a fantastic athlete and he can play right across the back-row. We talk about six being a problem position and he’s somebody I believe could cover that position. He’s powerful, carries well and is good in the lineout.”
As for his own preference on what number he wears on his back, Botham says: “I don’t really mind. I enjoy playing all the positions. I prefer 7, but we have obviously got competition there at Cardiff. If I am on the pitch, that’s all that matters. If you aren’t on the pitch, you can't show what you’ve got and it’s not going to progress you. Just crossing that white line and getting on that field is the main thing for me.”
Botham is now relishing being back out on the rugby field after the scary episode which put his season on hold. It was following another league encounter in Ireland - against Leinster in Dublin at the end of January - that the Welsh international was struck down in alarming fashion.
“We had the week off after that game, so I went up to north Yorkshire to see the family for a few days,” he reveals. “I was driving back on the Wednesday night and had this pain in my stomach. When I woke up the next morning, the pain was still there, so I went to A&E. I got told it was a stomach bug, but luckily the doctor down at the club said ‘no, it’s definitely appendicitis, we will get you in’. At that point I was in agony, so thank God it happened the way it did.
“I had thought it was appendicitis. That was a typical case of Googling what’s wrong and for once it turned out to be legit. I went in and luckily they got it out before it had time to rupture because it was really badly inflamed. It had started to join up to the small intestine as well. It was scary, especially when I was hearing some horror stories of people passing out when it ruptures. As it turned out, I went in on that evening and was out the next morning, having had the operation."
It did, however, mean him spending eight weeks on the sidelines, but Botham has certainly hit the ground running on his three outings since returning to action, demonstrating his trademark high work-rate, physicality and athleticism. He marked his comeback by scoring two tries from the openside flank in the URC victory over Zebre out in Parma. Then he capped a fine display against Sale in a Challenge Cup last-16 tie by securing the turnover penalty that sealed the win. Another big shift followed on the blindside in the narrow quarter-final defeat to Benetton in Treviso last weekend.
He will be hoping to do just that against Connacht this Saturday and then versus Ospreys on Judgement Day the following weekend with 10th-placed Cardiff needing to win both games to have a chance of finishing in the all-important top eight.
“I can’t remember the last time we were in the play-offs and to get in the top eight would be even more of an achievement with the South African teams in the league,” said Botham. “Hopefully we have got more than two games left this season. For the boys who are leaving, it would be nice to go off with a bang for them.”
Wales name team today
Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham will today name his side for the top-of-the-table Six Nations clash against England on Saturday (2.15pm kick-off).
Few changes are expected given Wales' strong start to the competition. They opened their campaign with a 31-5 victory over Ireland, then ground out a 34-22 win against Scotland in Edinburgh in round two.
Reaping the benefits of having a full-time pro squad of 25 players compared to 12 this time last year, Wales have progressed hugely in recent months but face an acid test against reigning champions England. The defending champions, who have been fully pro since 2019, top the table ahead of Wales on points difference after emphatic wins over Scotland (58-7) and Italy (68-5).
England named a formidable-looking side for the clash on Wednesday, which you can read in full here.
Wallabies icon floats retirement possibility
Australia back-row Michael Hooper has floated the possibility of retiring after this year's World Cup as he confirmed he's unlikely to sign a new deal with the Waratahs.
Several of Hooper's Wallabies team-mates have already signed long-term deals ahead of the Lions tour in 2025 and a home World Cup in 2027, but for former captain Hooper, there's no guarantee he'll stick around for either of those landmarks. The 124-cap flanker has plenty of options on the table, with suggestions he could switch to rugby sevens to play for Australia in the 2024 Olympics. What does seem certain is that his time with the Waratahs is coming to an end..
“They [Waratahs fans] are probably right [to think this is the last year],” Hooper told reporters this week.
“There’s a bit of ambiguity in the air [and] ambiguity in my mind. I’ve not got anything lined up for next year. I’ve been in a contract for a long time since the end of 2009. Aside from that [stint in Japan in 2021], it’s all been in Australia.
“I don’t know what the next thing is going to look like. It’s a nice position to be in. That might be playing, that might not be playing, that might be having time off. I’m a completely open book. Or I’ll just hang them up.”
Wales duo sign new contracts
Wales internationals Keira Bevan and Alisha Butchers have signed new contracts to extend their stays with Premier 15s side Bristol Bears.
Scrum-half Bevan, 25, won her 50th cap against Scotland last time out in the Women's Six Nations, while flanker Butchers, also 25, is currently working her way back to fitness having suffered an ACL injury during Wales' World Cup campaign last autumn. She has missed all of the domestic campaign but is a valued player both on and off the field.
"Keira has become one of the leading scrum-halves in the world in the last year and she seems to be getting better in every game she plays," Bears Women head coach Dave Ward said. "Alisha was our player of the season last season, playing a pivotal role in the club finishing third in the league. We are sure that she will return stronger than ever from her injury."
The club have not revealed the length of the pair's new deals.
READ NEXT:
Cardiff chief makes worrying admission after losing two stars
The battle to be Wales' top region and what each team has left to play for
