Butch James, the Springbok outhalf once again walked a fine line between the legal and illegal at the weekend. Noted for his shoulder-charge tackling without the use of arms, he was roundly castigated in the Australian and New Zealand media during the Super 12. This came on top of a two-week suspension after the second Test against France in Durban during the summer for tackling right-wing David Bory late and dangerously.

The Springboks' defensive coach Les Kiss spent a lot of time lecturing James on how to stop opponents without conceding penalties. He then got his first yellow card at Test level for a reckless tackle on George Smith. Last Saturday, against the Cheetahs, James was involved in two incidents in the opening 10 minutes of the match.

First, Free State flyer Wylie Human cut inside James, who put his right arm up and felled the winger. The touch judge recommended a yellow card, which referee Tappe Henning ignored. Less than a minute later Human got another run, this time James shoulder charged the winger, and Henning officially warned James for a high tackle. When Human scored the Cheetahs' first try 10 minutes into the second half James charged the right wing after he had touched down.

The legendary Springbok outhalf Naas Botha, now a television commentator for Supersport, asked the question whether James is teachable. Not by the sounds of thing, Naas.