Eddie James has established himself as one of the most indispensable players in the Wales squad, offering a powerful carrying and offloading threat that gives the attack front-foot momentum.
Wales may be a long way from the heights of the New Zealand team that won back-to-back Rugby World Cups in 2011 and 2015, where Dan Carter and Richie McCaw were central to everything, but even in a team struggling for consistency, certain players have made their places in the starting XV difficult to question.
Six players have established themselves as almost automatic selections: captain Dewi Lake, second-row Dafydd Jenkins, back-row Aaron Wainwright and Jac Morgan, and backs Tomos Williams and potentially Louis Rees-Zammit. Eddie James is in the same almost undroppable bracket.
A Physical Edge Wales Have Lacked
Much has been made of Wales' lack of cutting edge in the backs, but James offers something they have too often been missing. He is a powerful carrier who consistently gets over the gain-line and gives the attack valuable front-foot momentum.
There remains a debate over whether he is better suited to inside or outside centre, with coach Tandy favouring the latter, but there is little doubt that James is developing into an increasingly influential figure in this Wales side.
Whenever the powerful Scarlets centre gets his hands on the ball, he has a knack for making things happen. Against Japan, he brushed aside scrum-half Naoto Saito before producing an excellent offload to send Rees-Zammit over in the wide channel.
Comparisons and Future Potential
There have been plenty of comparisons within Welsh rugby between the Scarlets centre and Jamie Roberts, largely because of his imposing physique and ability to punch holes in opposition defences. But James arguably offers more dimensions to his game than Roberts did, with his offloading ability adding another layer to his attacking threat.
At this stage of his international career, Wales have arguably only begun to see what he is capable of.
"I compare him to Andre Esterhuizen," said former Springboks forward and Scarlets forwards coach Albert van der Berg last December. "I was at the Sharks when Andre came through the ranks. He was this young boy coming through, just like Eddie is now. He's got the size, he's got everything. He needs a bit of time."
"As he gets more experience, I think he's going to play for Wales for many years. He's a really good player."
Positions Still Up for Grabs
James still has plenty of development ahead of him, but there is no reason why he cannot put himself in contention for a place on the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in 2029.
But beyond that core group, there are too many positions where Wales lack an established first choice. The most obvious example is at outside-half, where Tandy has yet to settle on whether Sam Costelow or Dan Edwards is his preferred option. Tighthead prop is another position where Wales have yet to establish a clear first choice, while the battle for the blindside flanker jersey remains unresolved, with Alex Mann, James Botham and Taine Plumtree all competing for that role.
James must occupy one of the centre positions when Wales head to Australia for the World Cup next year if they are to have any realistic chance of being competitive.
