Now the Cardiff Blues flyer, Wales’ form wing this season with George North struggling to get his hands on the ball and Alex Cuthbert not quite the player he was, is once more back in the starting line-up.
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Ospreys flanker Dan Lydiate is back in full training, while Wales are confident over the fitness of captain Sam Warburton, who has only played once since picking up an ankle injury at the end of November.
The 23-year-old is now with his national side as they prepare for their opening game of the Six Nations against Ireland on Sunday and is expected to be named in Warren Gatland’s starting XI, despite his mixed showing for the Saints recently.
“It’s been an emotional couple of hours after they announced the team down on the field”, said James, emphasising his belief he’s matured as a player and a person.
Those wilderness years had looked set to draw to a close finally at last year’s World Cup only for a heel injury to rule him out of Wales’ injury-ravaged squad.
“They have progressed from Wales Under 18 and the development tour to South Africa over the summer which gives the players a huge amount of confidence and bridges the gap between the two age group”.
“To go into a Six Nations on the back of the condition in the World Cup is going to benefit everyone”.
It was under the level-headed, no-nonsense approach of Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter that James knuckled down to improve his all-round game.
“The first weekend is going to be very, very interesting”. He has played well for us before and deserves a chance looking ahead to the next few years. With Jérôme Garcès, who in recent years has consistently penalised Jenkins for not scrummaging straight, refereeing and Ireland having front-row problems Gatland took it as an opportune time to take a look at the future.
“I said it last week, but I’ve had injuries myself and I know how hard that must have been for him watching the World Cup, to have done all that preparation and not be part of it”.
Davies said: “Gatland mentioned he needed a second five-eighth (inside centre), so I think he will be stepping in (to the line) and looking to get the ball wide, so it will be interesting to see how that evolves”.
Asked what advice Gatland had given him, James added: “I had a chat with him earlier and he just told me to keep doing what I’ve been doing”.
“He is a quality player who has shown big moments in big games”.
Wales G Anscombe (Cardiff Blues); G North (Northampton), J Davies (Clermont Auvergne), J Roberts (Harlequins), T James (Cardiff Blues); D Biggar (Ospreys), G Davies (Scarlets); R Evans (Scarlets), S Baldwin (Ospreys), S Lee (Scarlets), L Charteris (Racing 92), AW Jones (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt), J Tipuric (Ospreys), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons).
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The likes of Gethin Jenkins, Dan Lydiate and Alex Cuthbert start on the bench.
