Time for Butch James to shape up or ship out

The Currie Cup match in Bloemfontein this past weekend exposed one of the views expressed by the Springboks during the away leg of the Tri-Nations for the patent nonsense that it was.

For those who don't recall it, perhaps a reminder is necessary - the Boks got all hot under the collar after the draw with Australia in Perth over the treatment dished out to flyhalf Butch James. They contended that James was being targeted by referees following the media hype in Australia and New Zealand over the player's controversial "armless" tackling style.

Around the same time coach Harry Viljoen lashed the Kiwi and Aussie media for picking on James and one Auckland based writer was told in no uncertain terms when the Boks arrived in New Zealand that the subject of the James tackling was closed and would not be discussed.

A few months earlier the Sharks coach Rudolph Straeuli charged that his flyhalf was being victimised by New Zealand and Australian commentators during the Super 12.

The message which came through in all of this was that the South Africans thought that overseas commentators and critics were over-reacting. It was all a storm in a tea-cup.

But in the match between Free State and the Natal Sharks, where James proved that any progress made on his part extends no further than turning armless tackles into high tackles, there were no Australasian commentators present.

Andy Capostagno may hail initially from Bristol, which is further from Australia than Johannesburg is, but he has been South Africanised over the past decade. And I seem to recall that his co-commentator Joel Stransky once slotted a very important kick for the Springboks.

Yet this pair were as critical, if not more so, than any of the overseas commentators when James in the space of just a few minutes was twice spotted putting in dangerous, high tackles on Free State players. The first one was ignored by referee Tappe Henning, although it was mentioned later on when he spoke sternly to James following his second offence.

I shared Stransky's surprise that Henning did not react more strongly. Maybe another spell in the sinbin is what this highly talented young player needs to wake him up.

It was not the last time in the match that James invoked the ire of the commentators and was perhaps fortunate to remain on the field. His several petulant little blow ups with Free State wing Wylie Human were all invariably the result of high or dangerous tackles from the Natal flyhalf.

And when he charged a Free State player and sent him sprawling beyond the dead- ball line long after he had already dotted down for a try late in the second half it was a transgression which merited a sending off.

Stransky initially reacted strongly and then softened his stance when he saw the replay. But while he said it did not look as bad on the replay as it had first up, it was clear he was not impressed.

Neither was Naas Botha when Supersport returned to studio at the end of the match. Like Stransky, he made it clear that he was not going to sit on the fence and suggested that James clean up his act before his career proceeds any further.

Take note Harry and Bob - those criticisms came from two former Springbok flyhalves, neither of them who have any axe to grind against the incumbent.

Neither of them are from Australia or New Zealand. Perhaps Butch James really does have a problem after all and it is not just something cooked up by South Africa's opponents to put them off.

I have been one of James' biggest supporters this past season. He did not fulfill his potential in the Springbok jersey, but then I believe there are reasons for that which might be more of a reflection on the man management failings of the national coaching staff than on James' ability.

To my mind there is not a player in the country who comes close to matching Butch James as a potential matchwinning flyhalf. Well, maybe Gaffie du Toit, but then he seldom plays and when he does he invariably fails to live up to his billing.

The sad thing about the Bloemfontein match was that James did show signs that under the coaching of Straeuli he will return to the brilliant form that buried the Cats in a Super 12 semi-final back in May. He still has the best hands in the business and his little grubber kicks leave all the other pretenders standing.

But we cannot turn a blind eye any longer to his inability to refine his highly physical approach. Apart from anything else, if he really emulated his hero Henry Honiball and aimed low when he goes in for his tackles, he would be a far more effective defender than he is at the moment.

It is time for James to clean up his act. Those who work with him cannot continue to pretend that his controversial approach is just the figment of an Aussie or Kiwi imagination.