By Tom Bradshaw

​Bath Rugby playmaker Butch James has been named in South Africa’s squad for this year’s Tri-Nations, raising questions about who will wear the number 10 shirt for Bath at the start of the Premiership season.

Following a couple of test appearances against Italy, the 31-year-old World Cup-winner has achieved his publicly-stated goal of forcing his way back into the Springbok fold ahead of next year’s defence of the Webb Ellis Cup. Over the weekend, he was named in a 28-man Boks squad that will play in the away leg of the Vodacom Tri-Nations from July 10 to July 24.

If James is then selected for South Africa’s home games - which run from August 21 to September 4 - he will miss Bath’s opening match of the season at the very least.

With South Africa then embarking on a four-Test tour of the UK in November, there is the potential for James to be out of club action for much of the first half of the 2010-11 campaign.

Last season, both Bath chief executive Nick Blofeld and head coach Steve Meehan were keen to emphasise their willingness for James to play international rugby alongside club games. They went on the record just as the fly-half, who has two years to run on his club contract, was being courted by former side the Sharks back home in Durban.

Pre-season training for the majority of the Bath squad gets under way today, and the news of James’ re-emergence as a Springbok regular will give fresh importance to how new signing Sam Vesty settles in.

The fly-half/full-back was recruited from Leicester Tigers over the summer as cover for James. He could now play a more prominent role than was initially expected.

Olly Barkley could also wear the 10 jersey, but given his blistering performance at inside centre towards the end of last season, Meehan will be loath to move him.

While most of the Bath squad are beginning the rigours of the pre-season boot camp, the club’s players who have been on international duty this summer are beginning a four-week break.

The only exception to that is James, who will fly to New Zealand this weekend ahead of the Boks’ clash with the All Blacks in Auckland on July 10.

Springbok coach De Villiers, possibly referring to his willingness to play James at both inside centre and his more customary role of fly-half, said of his squad for the Australasia leg of the Tri-Nations: “We are very fortunate that we have several players who are versatile and can offer us options in different positions.”

The Boks’ concluding match of the southern hemisphere internationals will be against Australia in Bloemfontein on September 4.

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