There's clearly something about Cardiff back-rowers and instant impacts.
Ellis Jenkins looked like he'd never been away when he stepped back into the pitch earlier this year after over 800 days out injured.
Shane Lewis-Hughes showed no signs of rust when called upon to take the fight to the Cell C Sharks this season after seven months out.
And then, having not featured all season, James Botham took to the tail of a makeshift pack and went toe-to-toe with the European champions.
Cardiff's Champions Cup clash with Toulouse, for all the obstacles faced by the Arms Park side, felt a little like an FA Cup Third Round match.
The big boys rolled into town to take on a depleted Cardiff side, patched up by academy products, teachers, students and a groundsman.
Naturally, it was those new faces who captured the imagination of everyone watching, but the return of Botham was a promising one for both Dai Young and Wayne Pivac.
Back-row is an area of relative strength for both coaches, with Cardiff's stock set to be strengthened further by the arrivals of Thomas Young and Taulupe Faletau next season.
As for Wales, you'd imagine half of Pivac's problems would be solved if there were a way to fit all his form back-rowers into his starting side.
Even with a host of Lions missing in the autumn, he was still spoilt for choice as the likes of Taine Basham and Christ Tshiunza forced their way into the reckoning.
But on Botham's return, he demonstrated some of the qualities that Pivac in particular needs in his side.
There was dynamic carrying in abundance, with his work off the base of a scrum that, understandably it must be added, went backwards at times. A handy skill to possess.
Botham isn't perhaps a natural No. 8, but like club team-mate Josh Navidi, he might just possess the skillset to work well across the whole of the back-row.
Even when he wasn't carrying off the tail of a reversing scrum, he was showing some useful dynamism in the angles he chose and how he took ball into contact.
Defensively, he was solid - putting in a number of dominant hits while also showing his threat at the breakdown.
Even though this example below occurred after the whistle had already blown, the counter-rucking skills of Botham to drive two support players from the ruck - neither of which had realised play had stopped - is outstanding.
As was his breakdown work on the other side of the ball.
Cardiff clearly felt their best way of causing Toulouse problems on Saturday was playing fast and loose, putting pressure on their clearout work as they looked to continuously stretch the French outfit's defence.
However, Botham's clearout work was textbook.
Naturally, he boasts the mindset that most other back-rowers possess - that the breakdown is a race to be won.
But beyond that, and this is where Wales are lacking at the moment, he's a smart decision-maker.
He knows when to smash someone out of the ruck and he knows when to sit on the ball, when there's less of a threat.
That's not always the case as we saw in the autumn.
One particular clearout saw Tomos Williams run a clearance kick back from deep.
Botham starts ahead of the play, with Williams passing him as he searched for a gap in the kick chase.
As soon as Williams gets past him and nears contact, a switch flips in Botham's head and he's immediately alert to how he can win the contact as quickly and cleanly as possible.
A strewn Toulouse body makes life a little harder, but Botham hurdles him and, in practically the same movement, settles over the ball - having recognised that there's little jackal threat from the nearest Toulouse player to the tackle area.
If he comes in all guns blazing and drives that first man beyond the ruck, then any Toulouse player could just step in and pinch the ball easily enough.
It's not flashy, but it's intelligent breakdown work.
For Cardiff and Wales, having him back before the new year is undoubtedly a timely boost for both.
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