Recent reports from the UK suggested that former Bok and World Cup winning flyhalf, Butch James has concluded a deal with the Stormers for the 2011 Super 15.

James has again suffered an injury (shoulder) shortly after he returned from a knee injury which kept him sidelined for months for his club Bath.

To add to Bath’s woes of losing the player to injury yet again they seem resigned to the fact that James will also look to return to South Africa in 2011 where he apparently struck a deal with Super 14 team the Stormers.

The Stormers currently have Willem de Waal, Lionel Cronje and Peter Grant on their books who can all fill the flyhalf role but with De Waal arguably in his last season for the Cape franchise, and questions continually asked over Grant’s ability at 10, the move might be a masterstroke from the Stormers management where experience and direction seems to be lacking in the 10/12 channel.

More on this as news becomes available.


53 Responses to Butch joins Stormers

  • 31

    25

    He he he…

    Nee man, lees al lankal hier,en op ander sites, net nou bietjie tyd om te chat soos ek se…

  • 32

    ag flok wasie bulle nou weer heen?

  • 33

    Hierso !!!!

  • 34

    blouste @ 33
    blerrie hel man
    daais beslis ñ rekord!!
    dit het ñ bloubul SES MINUTE gevat om “hierso” reg te spel … wonder hoeveel keer jy probeer het voor jy dit reggekry het? 😆

  • 35

    34

    😆

  • 36

    #34
    Ash…

    Darem beter as die AGT MINUTE wat dit jou geneem het om te “check” of dit reg is… 😆

  • 37

    blouste @ 36
    lmao
    good one!!

  • 38

    flok, en amper het ek vergeet om my varsity cup pics te maak!!

  • 39

    aaaaaaaaaah
    at last a few games in the varisity cup to look forward to tonight!!
    much better than the nonsense supersport forced down our throats the last few weeks!!

  • 40

    Don’t you guys think its time they gave Bash a proper and extended run at no 10 again? I mean this time he has a decent backline around him….

  • 41

    ok guys
    cheers
    i’m outta here!!

  • 42

    21 – Treehugs, Where you been? Carol was lonely without you here the last weekend?

  • 43

    41 – Cheers Ash.

  • 44

    Reading Sharksworld, seems this is just a rumour so far. Butch still is signed with Bath until 2012.

    For now Sharks should give Lambie a go. We have nothing to lose, probably going to land up on the bottom this year. Play the youngsters get them ready for next year.

  • 45

    Butch is now really a bad investment from an injury perspective…. he probably plays less than 35% of games in a season due to his recurring injuries.

    Give young Lionel Cronje proper exposure this year…. and he’ll come through nicely.

  • 46

    The rumours that emerged on Monday morning that Butch James had signed a contract with the Stormers for the 2011 Super 15 have been denied by Prosport Int.

    Global Managing Director of Prosport, Craig Livingstone, confirmed on the company twitter account that James has not signed for the Stormers and is contracted to Bath until June 2011.

  • 47

    I would take Butch in WP anytime, yes I know he’s a sicknote, but better than anything else we currently have, I was just getting excited til I read Super’s comment.

    He could have mentored Cronje (but not with the armless tackle)

  • 48

    John se kapteinskap werk nie vir Sharks
    deur Ben van Constantiapark skryf

    Ek was met angs vervul toe ek Vrydag moes kyk hoe ons Springbok-voorry van die Sharks in skrumtyd deur die opposisie verpletter word.

    ’n Span is so sterk soos sy swakste skakel. Daarom kan ek weer nie anders nie as om te vra nie of John Smith werklik ’n vaskop (of loskop) is?

    Hy was miskien op sy dag ’n goeie haker, maar dit lyk of sy oefenprogram hom die lyf van ’n stut gegee het. Hakers is veronderstel om die rol van ’n vierde losvoorspeler te vervul en ek dink nie John kan dit meer regkry nie.

    Peter, my ou maat, jy sal moet kopkrap en regtig dink of John se “goeie kapteinskap” genoeg gaan wees vir onse Bokke.
    Lyk nie vir my of sy kapteinskap vir die Sharks werk nie.

  • 49

    The knives are coming out for John Smit now, I see…

    It’s difficult to judge in a struggling side whether John Smit is delivering the goods as player and captain. Without good locks any front row will battle… and without any cohesion in the backline at the Sharks there is just no punch in their weak attempts at attack.

    Something radical will have to happen at the Sharks.

    But let it not sound if I’m kicking the Sharks from all angles, it takes one good game to turn things around… remember 2008 how badly the Bulls did in the beginning of the Super 14.. yet they rallied and won their last 4 encounters very convincingly, setting them up nicely for 2009 again.

  • 50

    The great sides in history all have one thing in common, apart from an overall very good team….. a great halfback pairing…. Joost and Joel, Robert du Preez & Naas, the Crusaders had Marshall & Mehrtens and more recently Carter, the Bulls have Fourie du Preez and Morné Steyn.

    Trace it back to the other successful teams and you will have to agree….

    Now, let’s critically look at the 5 SA Franchises… Cheetahs (very mediocre Tewis de Bruin & Naas Olivier), Lions (the hasbeens… JP Joubert and Carlos Spencer), Sharks (the struggling Kockott and struggling Ruan Pienaar), Stormers (Januarie – who seems to be playing a bit better of late and the very average Peter Grant)…

    Bulls have Fourie du Preez and Morné Steyn, clearly a number of steps ahead in terms of quality, clearly able to show composure and to dominate a game…

    Tell me I’m wrong… tell me I see too much in these 2 pivotal positions…

  • 51

    You halfback pairing is 13% of your team, and controls the next 33% of the team. More than 80% of all decisions are made by the halfback pair.

    The most important player in any great team must be the scrumhalf, and that is why the Bulls in Robert du Preez, Joost and now FdP are able to dominate. Ofcourse, without ball the halfbacks are just defenders. They need posession, and quality at that. But even the best ball can be butchered by an anxious scrummie.
    Any player can loose you a game, but to consistently win, you need a good halfback pairing. If they are not performing, the best team in the world will still lose.

  • 52

    The best example must be Robert and Naas. Naas had the ability (with the help of altitude) to simply kick the oppostion to death. The old N-Tvl won many games and CC titles when they were actually second or third best in the country.

    Many tried to emulate him, very few came close. He was just special in that way.

  • 53

    Bath – Butch James will not be joining the Stormers for the 2011 Super 15 season, according to his management company.

    According to the Sky Sports website, there has been mounting speculation that the World Cup-winning flyhalf would return to South Africa next season, having left the Sharks to join Bath in 2007.

    However, reports that he has signed a deal with the Western Province franchise for the 2011 season have been dismissed.

    Craig Livingstone, MD of Prosport International said: “Butch James has not signed for the Stormers for 2011 despite media reports. His contract with Bath extends until June 2012.”

    James is currently facing a month on the sidelines after injuring his shoulder against Worcester.

    The Stormers currently have Peter Grant as their No 1-choice pivot as Willem de Waal is eased back slowly into the frame after a serious neck injury.

    The Stormers are currently in fifth position in the Super 14 standings after three rounds of play.

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