Less than a month ago the Springboks lost out in the Butch James club-versus-country battle. Now, on the eve of South Africa’s Tri-Nations tour to Australasia the roles are reversed.
This time the Boks, on the back of a clause in James’ contract with his club, can hold onto the 2007 World Cup winner and Bath has to find a replacement for the star flyhalf.
Courtecy of rugby365
The saga surrounding James started earlier this month, when he was recalled to the Bok line-up for the first time in nearly two years – for the one-off clash against Wales in Cardiff on June 5. However, James, unwittingly, found himself in the middle of a tug-‘o-war between his country, his club and Premier Rugby.
Premier Rugby, the umbrella organisation responsible for managing the 12 professional clubs in England, eventually won their ‘dispute’ with the South African Rugby Union over the services of James – but not before both SARU and Premier Rugby threatened each other with the IRB.
While James was withdrawn from the Cardiff encounter and also sat on the sideline when the Boks beat France at Newlands a week later, he returned to feature in the two Test against Italy in the past fortnight.
That was enough to earn the 30-year-old a spot in South Africa’s Tri-Nations squad for the away leg in Australasia.
The Bok squad departs for New Zealand later this week – with the opening match of their Tri-Nations defence against the All Blacks in Auckland on July 10, followed by a second clash with New Zealand in Wellington on July 17. The third Test on tour is against Australia in Brisbane on July 24.
South Africa then have a month-long break, as the All Blacks and Wallabies slug it out for a couple of weeks, before the Boks tackle New Zealand again in Johannesburg on August 21, followed by back-to-back encounters with Australia (Pretoria, August 28 and Bloemfontein, September 4).
If James, who has publicly stated his desire to secure a spot in the Bok team for next year’s World Cup in New Zealand, is retained for the home leg, Bath may have to start the season without his services.
South Africa also embark on a four-Test tour of the Home Unions – Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England – in November, which means James could be away from his club for a substantial chunk of the season.
Bath Chief Executive Nick Blofeld and head coach Steve Meehan are both on record as having said they are willing to assist James in regaining his place in the Bok side and will release him for international duty – even though he has another two seasons to run on his contract with the English club.
The Premiership season gets underway early in September, which means Bath may now have to lean on new recruit Sam Vesty, signed from Leicester Tigers in the off-season, or opt to move Olly Barkley from his preferred inside centre spot to No.10.
It is conundrum that Bath will have to deal with, while the Boks will have the luxury of two world-class match winners in their squad – James and Morné Steyn.
gbs @ 30
exac-it-ly!!
To sustain itself a society must have 2.5 children per couple.
Steady population growth.
Enough young people to do the work.
In Europe, UK is the only growing population (we are no counting those Catholic Spanish and Italians here)and its because of immigration.
India and china have burgeoning economies, just like they have a huge birthrate, throw the Vietnams and Thailands in there too. Consumer society needs more new people all the time.
@ grootblousmile:
😆
@ Ashley:
Hubs sister is married to an afrikaans chap and they moveing down to Zinquazi(sp) end of July,well he will come down weekends, he teases my afrikaans, so can you imagine if i start with colourfull afrikaans. He will have a field day.
@ 4man:
But can it be sustained over time, there is only so much land and resoures.
When we still had staff,labour whatever is the correct term on the property i asked why they had so many children when they earned such a small a amount of money and was told it was to have someone to look after them when they were old, not a bad idea in theory. But reality, different story.
Ashley , this is takeing you a long time to read those comments.
Maybe you should carry on with the Mills and Baboon or Barbara Cartland. 😈
hugs @ 37
no girl, no such books for me …. never felt like reading them, never will 😀
anyway
just a bit busy at the moment
will most likely only go there tomorrow!!
37@ Treehugger:
I blame a lot of what is wrong in the world on Mills & Boon… especially about how females perceive this world, love, relationships & sex!!
Mills & Boon, Chick Flicks & Soapies are evil incarnate!!
@ Treehugger:
No…thats why we used to have plagues…unless interstellar travel becomes a reality fairly soon, earth is going to be up sh!t creek without a paddle. 2.5 kids per family sustains it at what it is now to allow for antural attrition and those that dont reproduce. Problem is Africa, India and to a lesser degree China are still breeding at average 6 kids per family. Africa and the middle east have not been a problem now, until us “caring” Anglo Saxons have got involved and are bringing them medicine and food….we are fuelling our own destruction by doing this.
The Africa way was always to have numerous wives and children and wealth was measured in cattle, because land was limitless and one could plant more food as there were more children, thats why the Nguni migrated down the east side of Africa until they got to the Cape, then they met the British. This thinking now results in “slash and burn” cultivation with no fertilizer. Madagascar a former rain forest island is very quickly becoming a desert, the rain forest in Africa and South America are following.
the solution…dont cure disease amongst burgeoning populations and let nature take care of it…radical solution, drop a neutron bomb, because once the bodies have dissolved one can plant again immediately or let nature take over again.
btw hugs
i found the place where the discussion started …. sounds interesting!! go and read through it tomorrow!!
@ grootblousmile:
Dont do those books, hate chick flicks, cept Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias. Only soapie is Binnelanders used to be Egoli.
Have never been your average female, few female friends, loads of male friends.
Most my interests are not to feminine, cept love buying shoes, expensive cosmetics and perfume.
@ 4man:
You see why i find men more interesting than most women, they things you say and know.
4man
so you feel that the bigger the family, the bigger the land you need to supply in their needs?
well maybe that was true before my forefather jan came to the cape
but
is it still the case?
@ Ashley:
Think you will enjoy it, was also entertaining.
west indies all out
47 runs to get for victory!!
hugs @ 45
dont know about entertaining hugs
the moment i started reading, i was reminded of one of the reasons i decided not to visit there anymore!
44@ Ashley:
Was Jan jou voorvelvader?
Jan Asblik van Asblikland?
gbs @ 48
nee, dowe jan v riebeeck
…
stuur hulle hom
jan gaan maak ñ tuintjie
hoor hy
jan gaan maak ñ kleintjie
..
of wassit
jan gaan bou ñ stasie
toe hooor hy
jan gaan bou ñ nasie
flok, hoop ek kan darem so ñ laaste paar overs vannie krieket sien!! 😯
@ Ashley:Hey Ash, read the blog, what I was discussing was in an agrarian environment where the guys dont have an education and practise traditional farming, they just used more land as the family got bigger. We are now running out of land, notwithstanding hydroponics etc.
City dwellers buy their food as they sell their intellectual skills and they dont need lots of land. If we dont stop population growth and dont stop polluting, earth will get beyond its ability to sustain us.
For population growth to stop we have to invent a new economic system as a consumer society based on a monetary unit will become unsustainable in an ageing population.
So is it robots to look after the older longer living people or is it mercy killings, or do we set the age limit of life at 70 years, which would probably keep the religious sects quiet (3 score years and ten).
the point is, we have to find a better way. If we stop poulation growth now (ie the 2.5 model), then all we need do is stop the pollution….if not we need to colonise other planets or we will decline and mother anture will get another chance (she’s probably had a few before) capisch? 😉
49@ Ashley:
Hehehe
Ek issie van Jan-maak-‘n-plan se afstammelinge nie…. my voorvelvader het eers 20 jaar later (1672) die land binnegekom… maar sy naam was ook Jan…. Jan Barens Gildenhauzen van Steinbruckfurt in Wesfale.
Seriaaaas !
@ grootblousmile: So Ash, you are actually German, in fact Prussian….welkom Broer.
@ grootblousmile: Sorry the last post was meant for you and not GBS.
I’ve cocked the whole thing up now…GBS is the Prussian
gbs
sieker soe ñ ou maergat mannetjie gewees
met daai klomp name konnitie annersie, lol
anyway ouens
eks eers uit
4 man
ons praat weer!!
cheers everyone!!
53@ 4man:
Jawohl mein herr, he even went back to Europe to go fetch himself a wife… then came back.
From my mom’s side the German blood runs thick as well, my mom’s maiden name was Steinbach.
I’ve decided to come back to blogging, the minute I sat down, Smith got caught for 10…d**s.
@ grootblousmile: so he played your great, great, great, great grandmother like a piano.
Ek wou nog vir Asbak gesê het… miskien was hy ‘n maergat… maar hy MOES ‘n laaang lat gehad het….. hehehehe
Users Online
Total 59 users including 0 member, 59 guests, 0 bot online
Most users ever online were 3735, on 31 August 2022 @ 6:23 pm
No Counter as from 31 October 2009: 39,595,738 Page Impressions
_