TOM James admits he has had to grow up in order to be called in from the cold for Wales’ Six Nations opener in Ireland.

The 28-year-old winger from Rhymney has had a long wait to add to the 10th cap that he won against New Zealand in the autumn of 2010 after a number of run-ins with boss Warren Gatland.

James complained about a lack of game time on the 2008 tour of South Africa, claiming he was a better player than rival Mark Jones, and in 2010 he threw his toys out of the pram when Tom Prydie was given a surprise debut against Italy, going AWOL for the final preparations.

He forced his way back into the fold last summer only for his World Cup dreams to be crushed by injury but has remained in Warren Gatland’s thoughts thanks to some stellar displays since heading back to Cardiff Blues from Exeter.

It was that spell in Devon that James credits as fuelling his Test hopes by developing him as a player and as a person.

“Moving away to Exeter and working with different coaches, I improved my all-round game. I’ve come back and everyone has seen a difference.

“When I was younger I made mistakes. I’ve gone away, grown up and matured as a person.

“Even at the time I made those mistakes, I spoke to the coaches and there were no hard feelings. I wasn’t playing well at the time, so I didn’t get selected.

“I was lucky enough to move away and I’ve secured myself recognition again. I like scoring tries and since coming back I’ve been scoring a lot of tries.”

Wales captain Sam Warburton has been well-placed to judge the ‘new’ James at Cardiff Blues.

“Back in 2009 and 2010 Tom was awesome for the Blues in the European runs that they had. He has matured massively after going to Exeter and coming back,” said the flanker.

“He is an extremely good pro now, very diligent. He has been outstanding for the Blues and not just on the field, the way he is with the younger guys.

“He is an experienced player now, he has played a lot of regional rugby and club rugby in England and has international experience.

“At 28 he is probably in his prime physically and you see that when he is training in the gym or on the field, he is an absolutely brilliant athlete.

“You see New Zealand with Maori wingers who are explosive and unpredictable, Tom is our equivalent with his power and he is a very exciting player to watch.”