Would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he hadn't missed almost the entire 2012 season with injury. He had two very good games against the BaaBaas and Wales after Cooper did his knee and there was plenty of chat about whether he should be the flyhalf going forward. Then he he had the injury troubles, had a few games playing 10 for a dreadful Rebels team in 2013 (where he was admittedly shit) and was thrown to, well, the Lions.
Still, I think the moments passed now. Shame he was never allowed to just stick to 12 - he'd have ended up like a much better Godwin. Unfortunately given the way he's been mucked around, I think he'll have to play on the wing or end up bench cover.
Yeah I agree he had some very good games against the BaaBaas and Wales but gee he was just awful for the Rebs leading up to the Lions and even more so for the Wallabies until the final test, and even then it wasn't what you want from an international 10 at all.
The big irony for me with James at 12 is that earlier on in his career he really was a bit too small to defend there and got worked over several times in Super Rugby. Now he's probably big enough to make it work well but he's spent so much time on the wing he looks fairly lost when he plays in the midfield.
I still think wing is his best position though. He's got world-class footwork and serious pace and just looks very, very comfortable finishing moves on the end of the line.
I just never understand the concept that a coach could take a player who hasn't played 10 in literal years and just convert them to it in the space of a few weeks. It takes an entirely different type of thinking to play 10 than it does any other position down the back line and you can't just unwire and rewire a guy in 20-odd days. Doubly so when they are going to be expected to perform at the absolute highest level against teams who form the pinnacle of excellence in their sport.
