James represented Wales and spent most of his career with Cardiff Blues After turning to rugby from athletics, he joined Merthyr RFC on the wing.
[4] Towards the end of his second stint at the Blues, James revealed in an interview that he had been suffering from clinical depression which had caused him to miss a number of games.
During the build up to the 2007 Rugby World Cup he was a part of the 40 man squad and made his debut for his country against England in August 2007.
When the 40 man squad was cut to 30 at the end of August, James was not selected and he returned to Cardiff Blues for the Magners League season.
James returned to the squad for the 2009 Wales rugby union tour of North America, starting in both matches and scoring in each test.