Returning Stags hero James Wilson can’t explain it but he believes he’s in better shape than when he first departed Southland to embark on what has become a storied overseas rugby career.

Despite having just turned 35, and with 15 seasons of professional rugby behind him, Wilson is confident he’s a better player than the one which left Southland in 2011 after helping the Stags lift the Ranfurly Shield.

“I don’t know how it’s happened, but I feel better than when I was running around for the Stags last time. I think these five seasons away in Europe has helped me a lot,” Wilson said.

“They looked after me and my body’s in good nick. I’m conditioned to playing a lot of rugby, which is good. I’ve had some injuries while I’ve been away but, short of a broken arm, I haven’t missed much rugby and I’ve performed quite well.”

Wilson played 65 games for the Stags between 2003 and 2011, including kicking 17 points in Southland’s successful 22-19 Ranfurly Shield challenge against Canterbury in 2011.

He also played Super Rugby for the Highlanders and Chiefs, but most Southlanders will have missed some of his greatest deeds because they were achieved on the other side of the world in an opposing time zone.

Wilson spent a season playing second division rugby in France before joining top English club Northampton, where he enjoyed both Premiership and European Cup success.

He played 95 games for the Saints before moving to Bath last season.

However, with Bath unable to accommodate him under their salary cap for their next campaign, the timing proved fortuitous when Wilson’s former backline partner and now Stags assistant coach Jason Kawau got in touch to find out what he was up to.

“I was basically enjoying my summer and having some time off while I waited to see what options came up and this happened, so I wanted to come home and get stuck in,” Wilson said.

“Obviously the last couple of seasons haven’t been that great and I’ve watched from the UK and have been disappointed with how things are going. This is an opportunity for me to help out, but also to help my rugby as well and provide a springboard to head back over to the UK when the season is finished.”

Wilson, who has developed into a player comfortable at fullback, the midfield or first-five, is confident he has more than one season left in his 1.95m frame.

“Some teams would look at my age and see it as a negative until I get there and show them what I’ve got, then they can see that it’s just a number, which is how I feel as well. I feel good, I’m keen to get stuck in.”

Stags coach Dave Hewett said Wilson’s experience and versatility would be particularly beneficial to his squad.

“He hasn’t come back just to wind things down, he wants to prove himself again and see what happens from there,” Hewett said.

“He’s a Southland boy, so it makes perfect sense, but when you look at the experience we’ve lost in Elliot Dixon and Lima Sopoaga, and others, we need to try and replace that.

“With him we get cover in every position except halfback, and he could probably play there as well. This is an intense competition and turnaround times are short between some games, so we need cover in multiple positions.”

Article added: Monday 16 July 2018