RUGBY NEWS:SOUTH AFRICA will review their policy of playing Test matches in Europe outside the official international window after being forced to pull Butch James from their side to face Wales in Cardiff tomorrow. Bath, governed by a Premier Rugby directive, refused to release the 31-year-old outhalf for the match, which was arranged earlier this year to raise money for both countries.
Wales, who already play an extra international in November, want to play the Springboks regularly on the opening Saturday in June to help raise the extra €1.2 million a year pledged to their four regions in return for player release. The South Africa Rugby Union is receiving €780,000 from tomorrow’s proceeds.
“As the regulations stand, any Tests we play outside the official window mean we may not have access to overseas players and that would give us cause to consider whether we should be arranging them,” Saru’s acting managing director, Andy Marinos, said. “We certainly have to look at this fixture down the line: the timing of it is not ideal but we have to make the most of it on Saturday.”
Marinos, a former Wales centre, tried to persuade Premier Rugby to relax its rule of not releasing Premiership players, other than English internationals, for Tests outside designated international weekends, arguing that Saracens’ South African hooker, Schalk Brits, will be playing for the Barbarians against Ireland at Thomond Park tonight, meaning James could have appeared for the invitation club but not his country.
“I appealed to them because there is a lack of consistency,” he said. “I understand Premier Rugby has a commercial arrangement with the Barbarians but it creates anomalies and I will be bringing the matter of the regulation governing player release to the attention of the International Rugby Board. You have to give players the opportunity to represent their country at the highest level, something Butch has been denied.”
James has been replaced in the side by the uncapped Stormers’ centre, Juan de Jongh, with Zane Kirchner joining the replacements. “I feel for Butch, but this is my chance and I intend to take it,” De Jongh said. “It has long been an ambition of mine to become a Springbok and it is up to me to show that I am worth the jersey.”
James said he was desperate to play against Wales to revive an international career that stalled two years ago, partly because of injury but also because he was playing in England. He now faces missing out on this month’s internationals against France and the Tri-Nations.
Secondrow Victor Matfield will replace the injured Andries Bekker, while Andy Powell yesterday withdrew from the Wales bench because of a thigh injury which also ruled him out of this month’s tour to New Zealand.
Guardian Service
