The road back for Butch
Bloemfontein – 32 Year-old Butch James may be making his debut for the Lions in about a month’s time. James’s arrival at the MTN Lions will coincide with the teams departure for their overseas leg of their 2011 Super15 campaign. James will depart from England immediately after his last game for Bath in the AVIVA Premiership.
The Springbok flyhalfs’ arrival at the Johannesburg based franchise could possibly be the boost the bottom of the table team needs. The Lions have been struggling with form flyhalves this season. Elton Jantjies has been less than impressive and although André Pretorius has had only two games he has been hot and cold. The form and discipline of James in recent weeks has been the topic of much debate.
Baths below average season means that they most likey won’t be contenders for the semi-finals in the AVIVA Premiership. This means that James’s English Rugby season could end as early as the 7thof May. The following week The Lions depart for Australasia to face the ACT Brumbies in Australian Capital, Canberra for their tour opener. Traveling from England to South Africa, then to Australia all in the space of a few days could mean that James will not be played immediately. James has been heavily punished and criticized in recent months for his discipline. His infamous shoulder charge has crept back into his game and has cost Bath a defeat to the hands of the mighty Leicester Tigers.
The rest of the season will be even harder than before for The Lions. Michael Killian recently suffered a hamstring injury and New Zealand born fulback James Kamana will be out for at least three months. Kamana broke his ankle against the Sharks on Saturday in his first game back after serving a three week suspension for a tip-tackle against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. The Lions coach John Mitchell has hinted at changes to the team line-up following Saturday’s shocker against the Sharks in Durban. This contradicts Mitchell’s philosophy of consistency in selection.
The Lions next face off against the wounded Stormers who suffered their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Reds on Saturday. Any rugby lover in South Africa would know that a wounded Stormers outfit is a most difficult task , even for the best. The Lions need to put a lot of work into their line-outs and scrums if they have any hope of toppling the likes of Andries Bekker and the Stormers front-row. The Lions need to work on their discipline as well. Peter Grant has returned from his six month stint playing in Japan with a tremdously impoved boot and has proven he can punish any team from any part of the field.
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