The 21-year-old winger incurred the wrath of many pundits and players by publicly criticising a team-mate and describing his three-minute cameo on the tour of South Africa as “pointless”.

Quinell believes the situation would have been avoided if James and other young players had chances to prove themselves at A team level.

He told the Wales on Sunday: “Tom’s remarks do show, in my opinion, how much we need to restore the Wales A side. He isn’t the only player who harbours international ambitions, and who must be frustrated by the lack of opportunities.

“Wales need to have a side in a tournament, like the recent Churchill Cup, to allow them to show what they can do.”