James Beal joined Cardiff in 2016, whilst a student at Cardiff Met. In his first two seasons at the Arms Park he scored 10 tries in 37 appearances, before a serious foot injury in a game against Aberavon in March 2018 brought his season to a premature end. In the 2018-9 season he was only able to play in one game, a try scoring return against Pontypridd in April 2019.