James apologises for outburst

Friday 27th June 2008

Wales wing Tom James has apologised for his outburst over Warren Gatland's selection and Welsh Rugby Union deputy chairman Gerald Davies says the player has learnt a harsh lesson.

The Blues' James recently came out in scathing criticism of the Wales' management, saying his two minutes and 41 seconds of action for Wales in South Africa was "ridiculous" and a "massive disappointment".

James also said that he was a better player than Welsh team-mate Mark Jones, much to Cardiff Head Coach Dai Young's disapproval.

"Tom may be better advised keeping his own counsel in future," Davies told the BBC while young said James had called the WRU and Mark Jones to apologise. .

"I think in that way things will improve for him."

Davies has sympathy for James' situation as a young player striving to cope in the international spotlight and said he didn't think Gatland would overlook the player in future because of the outburst.

"Tom is a young player with immense ambition who I think wants to achieve a good deal for himself and Wales" said Davies.

"Perhaps in his case a certain sense of frustration must have entered into his personality that things hadn't gone his way in South Africa. I can sympathise with that, but I think with a certain extent too he will have learned a lesson.

"I wouldn't like to think it would inhibit his future prospects. If he is a talented man, it is the talent that matters in the end and whether he's good enough for Wales."

Young was very clear that James' behaviour had not gone down well.

"We've made it quite clear to Tom things like that are unacceptable and as Tom has said himself he's very upset about it," said Young.

"I'm sure he won't make the same mistake again. He's rung the WRU and Mark Jones and apologised.

"He's obviously a young man just coming into the game being a bit naive and perhaps saying one or two things that he shouldn't."

James was omitted from the first Test against the Springboks and came on in the dying minutes of the second match when Wales were in an unwinnable position.

He later told the Rhymney Valley Express newspaper "I know it was a Welsh cap but to me it was nothing. I didn't get to touch the ball.

"As soon as I went on we were defending, It was a massive disappointment, unbelievable.

"I thought it was rubbish. It was pointless going on.

"I still think I'm better than Mark Jones, who didn't stand out like Shane Williams."