Wales have been well represented in the back-row department on recent Lions tours.
This time around, Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau are the Welsh presence in Warren Gatland's contingent heading to South Africa.
Despite that though, Wayne Pivac has more than a few capable options to choose from back home.
One of those is James Botham, with the Cardiff Blues flanker having emerged on the international scene last year in the midst of a breakout season.
And the 23-year-old is certainly aware of the competition he's facing as he looks to make his mark this summer in the Tests against Canada and Argentina.
“This campaign is definitely now about trying to establish myself in this squad, especially with a number of boys away with the Lions,” he told the Cardiff Blues website.
“That’s opened up senior roles in this set-up and it’s up to us to show our voice a bit more when you step into the team.
“It’s the third camp for me, so the national set-up is still quite fresh and new for me in the sense that it’s my first summer tour.
“But it’s also a case of trying to keep my head down and doing what I can to give myself the best opportunity to ensure that I stick around for future campaigns.
“There are a lot of new caps around the place and hopefully they will get the opportunity to play and express themselves so it sets themselves up going forward.
“But for myself it’s a case of getting back out there, trying to better myself in every training session and every game and striving to be the best that I possibly can.
“With the likes of Tips and Faletau away, there are places open but the competition remains massive. You’ve got Taine [Basham] who has come in, as well as the experience of boys like Aaron Wainwright, Ross Moriarty and Navs.
“But you’d rather be competitive than everyone sat back thinking they’re happy to be here whether they play or not.
“To have that level of competition is great for everyone going forward - the experienced boys and the younger boys.
“It’s been really good and straight away we’ve been pushing each other, but we all get along really well.
“You can see that we’re trying to help each other as much as we can, because ultimately we all know that we won’t win any games by playing as individuals.
“If we can ensure that bond remains strong, then it will only benefit the whole team going forward.”
