And Davies - the younger brother of British & Irish Lions centre Jonathan - has taken to the new challenge with aplomb.
A string of impressive performances in the GUINNESS PRO12 have endeared the openside to the Scarlets faithful this season, not least against Cardiff Blues last time out.
An all-action man-of-the-match display helped Wayne Pivac's side to a 16-6 victory that saw them place one foot in next season's top-tier European competition.
And with the World Cup fast-approaching, Davies' name has not been left out of discussions surrounding wildcard selections for Warren Gatland's squad.
Indeed legendary Wales flanker Martyn Williams flanker is in his corner. He said: "We've got so many good open-sides but I'm a massive fan of James Davies."
Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12
63x46.png){kind=logo}