Having proved himself in the second tier and signed for Northamp ton at the height of the Covid restrictions in the summer of 2020, the opportunity to play in front of a raucous Franklin's Gardens crowd had been initially denied to the scrum-half.
But that won't be the case today with Saints' fans needing to be in full voice to drown out the Munster hordes that will undoubtedly make the trip over the Irish Sea.
It should make for a brilliant atmosphere, even with the lunchtime kick-off, and James can't wait to be involved following last week's morale-boosting win over Saracens.
"The first one-and-a half if not two seasons I was in the Premiership there were either no crowds or very little crowds, so it was a strange sort of start to my Premiership career," he said.
"The reason you do it are for games like last Friday and games like Sunday the big occasions. It's definitely a privilege to be out there."
Having seen their table-topping team thrashed 52-21 by Bristol in their first Premiership game back after the international break, Saints' fans were in wonderland at the nature of the response against Saracens.
Saints were in scintillating form and gave an appreciative full house at Franklin's Gardens full value for money with a 41-30 win.
"They've been awesome," James said of the Saints fans, who are loving the five-month unbeaten home run.
この記事は The Rugby Paper の April 07, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Rugby Paper の April 07, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Edwards gives Gatland a little to think about
A TERRIFIC effort from Ospreys should have seen victory and it was rough justice that high-flying Cardiff escaped with an undeserved draw.
Cowan-Dickie: I'm back and buzzing
LUKE Cowan-Dickie's journey back to the pinnacle of rugby is nothing short of extraordinary.
Clow keeps Rams in touch at the top
RAMS inward approach is paying dividends with the club involved in another title race thanks in part to free scoring flyer Zachary Clow.
Powell powers over to take Quins home
PLAYMAKER Kayleigh Powell powered past four defenders to score the eighth Harlequins try and narrowly edge out a spirited Trailfinders side to secure a late comeback win in a 15-try derby thriller.
Hathaway can follow Zam Skivington
GEORGE Skivington has backed Josh Hathaway to continue to go from strength to strength as the young winger attempts to follow in the slipstream of Louis Rees-Zammit and be a big hit for club and country.
Hybrid Hash will tie Borthwick in knots
THE description 'Hybrid Central Contracts' does not inspire confidence. Hybrid usually means a bit of this, and a bit of that — and 'Hybrid Hash' would be a more apt term for the RFU contracts given to 17 England players just before the autumn series slump.
Quins leave it late to power past Falcons
MARCUS Smith showed his class on Friday night, being an imperious creator and finisher as Harlequins romped to an emphatic five-try victory on Tyneside.
We need to see a complete shake-up
A NEW year and change is on the way across many aspects of the game, not least with the possibility of an SGM creating a complete change at the RFU.
Cool McBryde steals it for RGC
BILLY McBryde held his nerve to land a last kick of the match conversion to snatch a stunning 4139 win for RGC over leaders Ebbw Vale at Parc Eirias.
Century of highs for La Rochelle
AN IMPRESSIVE milestone at Stade Marcel Deflandre was reached last night, where La Rochelle hosted their 100th sell-out match in a row – either side of the period of pandemic restrictions – a run stretching back to January 2, 2016.
