After Wales’ agonising Six Nations defeat to Scotland in Cardiff, the 28-year-old flanker had a strong suspicion that his famous grandfather, England cricket legend Ian Botham, would be getting in touch.
The moment that prompted it was impossible to ignore.
Watching from the other side of the world, Lord Botham had seen his grandson momentarily turn away as Scotland fly-half Finn Russell took a lightning-quick restart.
The lapse allowed Darcy Graham to race through and score a crucial opportunistic try — a moment that helped swing the momentum of the match as Scotland eventually edged a 26-23 victory.
For James Botham – the Cardiff flanker, who will start against Ireland in Dublin on Friday night - the conversation that followed was from familiar territory.
In a family steeped in elite sport, honest feedback has always been part of the deal.
“He usually gives me a bit of grief,” said Botham of his grandfather.
“He always has a little say. So, I kind of knew it was coming and I was trying to avoid the call a little bit. But no, the FaceTime popped up, and I saw him, and I was like, ‘Oh, here we go!”
When the call arrived, the verdict was delivered in typical Botham fashion.
“It was more the look, because I was on FaceTime, he didn't really say too much. He just looked at me, kind of with his head down and smirked.
“But I knew exactly what he was on about. But to be fair, he was very chuffed for me that I had been able to get back out there and play. And apart from that one little thing, I felt good about the whole game really.”
That blend of pride and blunt assessment has been a constant in Botham’s sporting upbringing.
His father Liam enjoyed a successful career with Cardiff in rugby union before also playing professionally in rugby league, having begun in cricket, while his grandfather remains one of Britain’s most famous sportsmen.
Growing up in that environment meant there was never any hiding from honest feedback.
“It was there from a young age,” Botham explained.
“I always knew after every game there would be the dreaded call from Dad. He would always tell me straight how it is, and it was the same with Grandad.
“If anything, they have always been honest with me from day one. That’s quite a good thing to have, I suppose.”
The Scotland match itself had been something of a personal milestone. Botham came off the bench early to replace the injured Taine Plumtree and produced a dynamic performance in the back row during what was Wales’ most encouraging display of the championship so far.
Yet the Graham try — sparked by Russell’s sharp thinking — proved a turning point.
Wales had just stretched their advantage to 23-12 when Scotland caught them off guard with the rapid restart.
Botham found himself close to the action, and while the incident was far from solely his responsibility, it has provided plenty of ammunition for team-mates in the days since.
“I've had it every single day in training from Daf (Jenkins) and a few of the other boys saying, ‘Jim! Look up!’ quite a bit,” said Botham this week.
“But that's part and parcel of it, I suppose.
“It's in that environment that you kind of need to be told, because obviously it can't happen. So, I actually think it's good I’m getting that from them, in a way.
“It’s funny at the time, to get a bit of stick. But this is professional sport, and we're all athletes. We've got to get on with it.”
The flanker is philosophical about the moment now, viewing it as a learning experience rather than dwelling on what might have been.
“It's one of those that happened all so fast, and there is learning to take from it, obviously. You can't switch off at any point at this level.
“If you do, obviously, everything went because of that bounce.
“I reckon if you did that again a few times, then it probably wouldn't have bounced the same.
“But look, it's happened now. I can't look back at it and say, oh, ‘what is this?’ It's happened.
“I've just got to never let it happen again, I suppose, and also just focus on the next points and not let it affect me going forward.”
Despite the disappointment, Wales head coach Steve Tandy has shown confidence in Botham by handing him a first start in more than a year for the upcoming clash with Ireland in Dublin.
Tandy believes the Cardiff flanker brought real energy to the side against Scotland.
“Jim has been a breath of fresh air coming in,” Tandy said.
“His athletic ability has been outstanding and nothing really fazes him either. Against Scotland his presence over the ball was excellent, but I thought his decision-making was even better.”
The coach acknowledged the costly restart incident but stressed it was a collective lesson for the whole team.
“As for the Graham try, touch wood, we never do that again. There’s a big lesson to be learnt out there. Jim was in and around that vicinity but it is about the team being smarter as well, because everyone else has got an opportunity to have comms.
“But you can’t see the ball if you are facing the other way. It’s great thinking from Scotland but ultimately to become the Test-match team we want to become we can’t be giving those moments out.”
Encouragingly for Wales, the Scotland performance hinted at a team beginning to rediscover its edge after a terrible start to the championship.
Tandy believes the physical intensity shown in that match must now become a benchmark.
“I generally don’t think it’s a mindset thing with our group,” he said.
“It’s something that we’re developing and getting more used to our systems. The make-up of the team, we got that pretty bang-on in the Scotland game, and there was definitely a bit more intent for us to go forward.
“The boys are always physical. There are some different athletes with France and probably the make-up we didn’t get quite right in that game, while England was a bit different.
“When you’re down to four yellow cards, it’s hard to be as offensive as you want to be.”
“Absolutely, that’s a benchmark,” he added. “It’s given the players confidence as well on both sides of the ball.
“The physicality around the breakdown was excellent, and that was probably the best defensive performance we have put in.”
For Botham, the immediate focus is on helping Wales build on that progress in Dublin — and ensuring there are fewer uncomfortable FaceTime calls afterwards.
But if there are, he knows exactly what to expect.
After all, in the Botham household, the honest reviews never stop.
