But unlike the rest of his Blacks’ team-mates, James hasn’t had the summer off. Instead he has tried his hand at Rugby League with South Wales Scorpions and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
The 31-year old scored four tries in 10 appearances for Neath’s other professional rugby side and he says that he has learned a lot that he can take back to the 15-man game.
“I thoroughly enjoyed switching codes this summer,” he said. “It was a good bunch of boys and coaches at the Scorpions. The whole set-up in extremely professional and in any walk of life it’s good to have a change now and again. It has benefitted me as I’ve picked up a few new skills.
“It was good to have a different perspective on how to defend or attack. My fitness has certainly improved. Definitely a lot of positives. Hopefully I can use the experience and knowledge I’ve learned to help the younger boys at Neath and push them forward.
“In some ways League was easier to play and in some ways it was harder. In Union in my position as winger, you have to look for the ball but in League you can’t really go past the middle of the pitch and have to stay in your own little area. It’s been good to improve my defence too especially in recent weeks when results didn’t go well and we had to do a lot of defending. Hopefully I’ll be able to go back to the Scorpions next year.”
But for now, James is primed and ready to start the Premiership season for Neath and is hoping for a win against one their oldest local rivals in what should be a classic season opener.
“I’m really excited for the first game,” he said. “I’m a Neath boy and I made my debut for the club when I was 18 so this makes it my 13th or 14th season in rugby. I’ve been to a few others clubs in between but I’m Neath through and through and played over 200 times for the club, scoring over 100 tries.
“Neath Rugby means a lot to me. We had a bit of an up and down season last year and there were some tough times but the boys stuck together and that’s what makes this team so good. The team spirit at the club is excellent and I don’t think many clubs would have stayed so positive the way we did. We’re a bunch of mates, we have good camaraderie and team spirit. That can only help us on the field.
“The club looks like it’s really going places now and I’m looking forward to helping put Neath back on the map and winning some trophies like we did in the past. We’ve a few new additions to the squad, some youngsters who are looking really good and we’ve done well in training.
“It’s always a good game against Swansea and we can’t wait for them to visit The Gnoll this Saturday. It’s a big derby game and everyone raises their game on both sides. It’s nice to have them first game up, but it’s about getting the win at the end of the day and playing attractive rugby. It’ll be good to set us up for the rest of the season.”
Adult tickets for Neath v Swansea on Saturday 1st September cost £12 for the main stand or £10 for anywhere else in the ground. Children aged 16 and under are free of charge. Check out www.neathrugby.co.uk for more details and follow the club on http://www.facebook.com/NeathRugbyFootballClub or https://twitter.com/NeathRugby.
