James Botham: Wales players avoid politics and appeal for more time

South Africa outmuscled and outclassed Wales but Gatland believes there were positive signs as well as consolation tries for Rio Dyer and then at the death from Botham.

“I wouldn’t say it was about proving a point [but] the boys showed how much they care and how together we are as a unit,” said 26-year-old Botham.

“All teams transition. Some take longer than others. It’s a journey and we’ve definitely got a few more stops before we get to the final destination. The more we stay together, the better we’ll be.”

Botham, a Six Nations winner in 2021, has been one of the few standout performers of the autumn for Wales, not least in combining with Jac Morgan for almost 50 tackles against South Africa.

But Wales cannot simply tackle their way to victory and know they must find a physical edge to have any hope against France in the new year.

“Australia were under the pump at one time, but they’ve spent more time together and now they’re starting to get results,” said Botham.

“We’ve got more games to come and the Six Nations is a new competition where we can set new goals.

“We can all work on things and come back a better team with more time together, to gel and improve.”