Wayne Pivac expects Sir Ian Botham to support Wales
Wayne Pivac says he will be “very surprised” if England cricket great Sir Ian Botham does not support Wales on Saturday.
Pivac’s Wales team meet an England side unbeaten for six games in the Autumn Nations Cup at Parc y Scarlets.
And James Botham – Sir Ian’s grandson – will wear the Wales number seven shirt for only his second start as a Test match player.
Impressed on debut
Cardiff-born Botham, 22, impressed on his debut against Georgia last weekend, and he will be joined in the back-row this time out by his Blues colleague, 23-year-old Shane Lewis-Hughes, who featured in recent matches against Scotland and Ireland.
But the game offers a golden opportunity for Botham and Lewis-Hughes to impress in Wales’ penultimate fixture before this season’s Six Nations Championship.
Asked who Sir Ian would be supporting, Pivac said: “I would be very surprised if it’s not the team in red!
“We talk about the injuries in the loose forwards, but these two boys have worked very hard and been impressive in training.
“If we felt they weren’t ready, we wouldn’t have put them out there.
“You have seen Shane go up and against the Irish and Scots and put in two very good displays. He’s a physical young man, and we are going to need a lot of that on the weekend.
“And in terms of Jim (James) Botham, you saw his performance in the Georgia game first up. Both of those guys, we are confident to put them out there and really excited to see how they go.”
Poor points difference
Wales’ poor points difference in their Nations Cup pool means that Italy are likely to provide next weekend’s play-off opposition, even if they beat England.
Eddie Jones’ team, meanwhile, require a point to finish top of Pool A, with Ireland expected to record a bonus-point win against Georgia on Sunday, leaving a third-place group finish as Wales’ probable outcome.
Pivac added: “It’s not a Six Nations or World Cup match in its own right, but it is a Test match and it is England against Wales in its own right.
“We will be going out there to do the best we can to win the match, obviously, but along the way we will learn a lot as well. That is what this competition has been about.
“We will certainly be looking for a big performance, for a lot of heart.
“England-Wales, I suggest that the boys will be up for this match, and I expect them to be very physical and enjoy the process.”