Butch: I’m open to coming home

Butch: I’m open to coming home

29 Jan 2008

Butch James would consider returning to South Africa if he felt he had a crack at being in the Springbok mix.

Despite his assertions to the contrary it is believed Springbok coach Peter de Villiers will meet with European-based World Cup winning Springboks to talk about the possibility of returning to play in South Africa. De Villiers departs on February 8 to Europe.

James, the Springbok World Cup winning flyhalf, is currently in the early stages of a two-year deal with English Premiership club Bath. His form has been superb and has been central to their push for league honours.

James said he was “loving” his time at Bath, but conceded that an approach from De Villiers could be very appealing if the conditions were right.

“If I knew I had an opportunity to continue my international career for a couple years more I would consider it. I think I’m still good enough and I’d always be open to an approach. So if Peter could assure me of that, it would make it very hard to say no.”

James said the Sharks, for whom he played his entire professional career in South Africa, would be his first choice franchise should he return, but quickly added: “That’s only if they want me back.” The 28-year-old has had a series of knee injuries which have stifled his career, but seems to have moved past that difficult period.

He was last injured on the Springboks’ 2006 year-end tour to England and Ireland, but recovered to play the entire 2007 Super 14 and Tri-Nations (he was rested for the Australasian leg) and was the first choice pivot at the World Cup. But that streak came to an end on Sunday when he dislocated his shoulder in the process of scoring a try against Saracens. Bath looked rudderless without their general and succumbed to two Brent Russell tries, losing 26-20.

“I’m going for a scan tonight but it looks like anything from six to 12 weeks out of the game,” he said. “That’s really frustrating because I think I was playing some of the best rugby of my career.

“If it’s six weeks that’s not so bad because the Six Nations starts this weekend which would mean I wouldn’t miss any [Premiership] games but 12 weeks would be a killer because I want to play a major part in the team’s push for the title.”

Bath are currently placed third, just five points off leaders Gloucester.

By Ryan Vrede


549 Comments

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 » Show All

  • 1.skunk: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:17 am

    The only way to make sure you are pick is to perform. Not by what you did last year.

  • 2.skunk: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:17 am

    ….picked

  • 3.KWAGGA ROBERTSE: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:19 am

    Mmmmmm…… and all you bulls bashers called Matfield all sorts of names for doing exactly this……Now let’s hear what you all will have to say about Butch

  • 4.KWAGGA ROBERTSE: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:20 am

    True Skunk. He is playing great ruggas over there though.

  • 5.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:24 am

    butch should come to the Bulls, let the boy get a S14 trophy at least once.

    or at least have a chance..

  • 6.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:26 am

    This site is as slow as the Home Affairs queues in the Wynberg branch.

    Where is everybody.

  • 7.katman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:29 am

    Probably still stuck in Home Affairs.

  • 8.katman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:30 am

    Except the Bulls. They’re down at the **** Fair.

  • 9.whatever: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:31 am

    mmmmmmmmm, butchie, no guarantees boet. But if you are playing well and the coach picks on merit and wants some experience then you have a good shout.

  • 10.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:31 am

    Dead as a dodo.

    Everyone was moaning about no stories 4 weeks ago, now that the Monarchs are churning them out, no-one says a word.

  • 11.Provincejoulekkading: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:32 am

    Comment by Dawn : January 29, 2008 @ 11:26 am

    Get with it Dawn,that branch is now 2 trucks!

  • 12.whatever: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:32 am

    oh yeah, you also need to be able to run onto the park!

  • 13.skunk: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:33 am

    People are being delusional when it comes to the national team. No one has a birth right to it. Everyone should perform to make it in there. To say you want to be guaranteed a spot be fore coming back to the country is disgusting. To me Butch has lost all the respect I had for him.

    The Boks that won the world cup are not the keepers of the jersey. They should fight for it like everyone else. John Smit has it right he will fight for the right to play for his country.

    If players don’t want to fight for it then let them stay in Europe and earn money for themselves

  • 14.Martin: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:34 am

    #3 – at least he has been playing good rugby up to now….victor was shooting his mouth off before even setting a foot on french soil. and butch was’nt hanging around to see who was going to be bok coach.

  • 15.Dawn: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:35 am

    whatever

    He ain’t doing to badly.

    Scored a try over the weekend then promptly dislocated his shoulder.

    Anyone else see PETER DIXON playing on Sunday?

  • 16.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:36 am

    #8, is that camp david?

  • 17.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:37 am

    i heard Tony Brown is playing for the stormers?
    is this true?

  • 18.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:38 am

    skunk

    Agreed, no guarantees, that’s just bullsh#t, regardless of who you are.
    Jeezz, some of these boys are acting as if they are royalty and irreplaceable.
    Bugger them, PdeV, there are plenty of youngsters just aching to play for the G&G.

  • 19.katman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:38 am

    It’s really quite simple. SARU must promise Butch a spot on the team so that he can return. They can always renege on the deal if it doesn’t suit them later. Just like they did with Heyneke.

  • 20.whatever: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:40 am

    I’d love to know if Butch actually used the word “guaranteed”, or was it just a bit of journo licence. Ryan uses quotation marks so must be………abit of a doff thing for Butch to say really

  • 21.Martin: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:40 am

    i’m sure butch will want that guarantee in writing.

  • 22.katman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:40 am

    16 – I reckon it probably would be. And my name isn’t David.

  • 23.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:41 am

    on the stormers site the log froms last year still has the sharks on top…

  • 24.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:43 am

    i hear through the grapevine that Luke and Jean are getting on very well.

    i dont know who’s getting on first, but thats none of my business.

  • 25.Steyn The Blue Bull: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:43 am

    Butch klink nou net soos Watson…dink hy is groter as die game….nee mater..as jy groen en goud wil oor jou kop trek….moet jy fight vir dit….werk net so maklik

  • 26.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:44 am

    whatever
    Yes, I also wonder sometimes if these ‘quotations’ are to be regarded verbatim, as in Adi’s case earlier.

  • 27.Ig: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:44 am

    Just like Big Vic to

  • 28.cab: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:45 am

    Comment by skunk : January 29, 2008 @ 11:33 am
    yeah thats fair enough, there can be no overlong guarentees, but one would hope that an RWC-winning flyhalf whose taken the english league by storm would be guarenteed to start most of 2008.

    If he is going to be overlooked for transformation reasons, these guys cannot be blamed for playing overseas, its also their livelihood.

  • 29.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:46 am

    Ig howzit china?!

    and dont be dissing big Vic just because you have “min dae” we’ll still sort you out..

  • 30.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:46 am

    Steyn
    Het jou probeer mail oor chingching Superbru, maar my hotmail is tydelik op die koffie.
    Sal later weer probeer inkom.

  • 31.Isigidi: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:47 am

    Pietman

    Wat’s die Keo party by Nuweland wat ek van **** met jou as convenor?

  • 32.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:47 am

    the problem is if Butchie comes back, Muir sits with 3 top flyhalves, and it would mean that Steyn will not get any decent amount of time at 10..

  • 33.Staal: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:47 am

    Butchie – hou op praat! IMO is jy goed genoeg! Dis nou nadat JW gesê het “The Boks need a flyhalf” :lol:

  • 34.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:48 am

    Ig!
    You’re alive, and around still.
    We were beginning to get worried out here that you might have ‘AWOL’-ed.

  • 35.Staal: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:48 am

    the only thing that is “n waaborg” is taxes! … eh & power cuts!

  • 36.Isigidi: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:50 am

    Staal

    And Zuma our next president!

  • 37.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:50 am

    Isigidi
    Nee, ek is nie ‘convener’ nie, ek dra maar net die wors, hout en kitaar aan.
    Cuzzy, Ex-Player en AB is in ‘charge’ van die reelings.

  • 38.Staal: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:51 am

    36 :lol:

  • 39.Ig: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:52 am

    Lol BB, all of these players need a clip round the head and told that 2007 was 2007 – it will get them a meal for the rest of their lives, but it won’t get you a game….ask Francois Pienaar.

    Pietman – yup finish up on the 31st, been busy getting my shite together

  • 40.katman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:53 am

    …flyhalf whose taken the english league by storm would be guaranteed to start most of 2008…

    Comment by cab : January 29, 2008 @ 11:45 am

    Not so fast, cab. By this logic Wacko Jaco could have demanded the same guarantees a couple of years back.

  • 41.Isigidi: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:53 am

    Pietman

    Praat bietjie uit! Hoe wie wat waar en hoeveel?

  • 42.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:54 am

    well we hope you pop in occasionally, i take it you are leaving for greener pastures?

  • 43.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:54 am

    Ig
    You still around on the 16th, please join your old foes at Newlands.
    Some interesting people coming down for the games, even an ex-Springbok or two.
    Let’s kiss and make up behind the North Stand…

  • 44.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:56 am

    katman,
    its not entirely unthinkable that Rudolph would have picked Michael Jackson as flyhalf.

    i mean he picked Jorrie Muller FFS!

  • 45.Ig: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:56 am

    Yup BB, been growing my pastures all year, harvest in March…..

    Pietman, i should be about, not sure i wish to kiss anyone….but i am sure i could be convinced to drink beer

  • 46.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:56 am

    Isigidi
    Trupi het naamlyste, geldlyste, dranklyste,vleislyste, vrouelyste, kaarjielyste, hotellyste, karlyste, tydlyste en als, laat hy jou gou mail.

  • 47.Isigidi: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:57 am

    Om ‘n waarborg te vra van ‘n coach is net so onlogies om n waarborg te vra van geen beserings en vorm beter as die ander ouens.
    Profesionele era = as jy nie IN VORM is nie, word jy vervang, finish en klaar!

  • 48.Pietman: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 11:58 am

    45# Ig
    LOL!
    See you there.
    Will let you know here nearer to the time.

  • 49.bluebarb: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 12:00 pm

    i cant believe Tony Brown is playing for the Stormers. does he get a pensioners’ discount on the team bus?

  • 50.Steyn The Blue Bull: Reply to this comment
    29 Jan 2008, 12:09 pm

    Piet…

    dit is reg….Eksdom..het nou weer 2 keer hier kuk gemaak…..so dit gaan maar so sukkel sukkel hier by my ook

Pages: [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 » Show All

Keo.co.za has always promoted uncensored views, but has never tolerated racist or crass outbursts. Come on guys and girls. If you can't moderate yourselves or each other then I am going to be forced to regulate the posts and enforce a registration process for comments. The choice is yours.

Have your say

You must be logged in to post a comment.