Having a player in the Springbok squad who, at the very least, displayed nocturnal naivity, is not virgin territory for director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and coach Jacques Nienaber.
In the lead-up to the 2019 Rugby World Cup, strongman lock Eben Etzebeth found himself under uncomfortable scrutiny following a late night/early morning altercation outside a bar in Langebaan, Western Cape.
The Bok coaches backed him, much in the way they are now prepared to stand behind Elton Jantjies, who has been recalled to the team after he was ejected last year after news broke of an alleged affair with the team’s dietician.
His exit left a bad taste in the mouth, and though some will find his return unpalatable, the Bok hierarchy is single-minded when it comes to achieving their objectives. They know the biggest influencer of public sentiment in the Rainbow Nation is a pot of gold, and that morality is blinded by its glow.
Rule of necessity
Injuries to Handré Pollard and Damian Willemse have necessitated the Boks to dig into their flyhalf reserves, especially with Frans Steyn — who played in that position against the Pumas in Durban last year — also on the sidelines with a knee injury.
There is the suggestion they have bitten off more than they can chew by recalling Jantjies, but Erasmus and Nienaber would have carefully calculated the risk/reward ratio involved in the miscreant flyhalf's restoration.
There is, of course, also the fear Jantjies’ presence will bring more unwanted attention to the squad, especially when they are on tour. If he is in the squad their week in Auckland may be interesting.
The reality they have to deal with in the build-up to the Rugby Championship is that Manie Libbok is the only fit flyhalf in their training group. It calls for reinforcement, and, frankly speaking, they’d much rather have the devil they know. “To take a young player from another competition is very difficult,” suggested Erasmus.
“Whether that is in the Japanese League or the Premiership. When a young player who moves over to a second division team, especially if it is a minor league or one that isn’t very physical, it is difficult to gauge how good that player is.
In terms of his big match temperament and whether he can do it at this level, we know Elton Jantjies is not a laaitie, and he’s done big things.
— Rassie Erasmus, director of rugby
“However, players we’ve worked with, and you know their temperament, are different. You know with a Kwagga (Smith), when he’s playing over there (Japan), he can back it up at Test level.
“Elton is in the same boat. In 2018 he went on and won the Test in New Zealand. In terms of his big match temperament and whether he can do it at this level, we know he’s not a laaitie and he’s done big things.”
Battle-hardened
Nienaber argued Jantjies, who played 11 games for Agen in Pro D2 (French second division) has been exposed to a tough league. “He’s played second division in France and if you ask Daan Human (former Bok prop and the team’s scrum coach), who played for Toulouse for many years, he’ll tell you they are fully professional and, because there aren’t a lot of cameras around, it is very tough.”
Jantjies’ time away from the Bok set-up, just as they started to fine-tune their plans for the RWC, is not a concern for Nienaber. “He was as long with us as Handré last year,” the coach was keen to advise.
Given the Bok pecking order, Libbok looks a shoo-in to start against the Wallabies in Pretoria, and it is now not beyond the realms of possibility that Jantjies might be on the bench and the opportunity to play his first Test since last year’s Test against the Wallabies in Adelaide.
His presence has brought disquiet to some Bok fans. It has been a while since he has taken a Test by the scruff of the neck and, if his stay in the set-up is to be prolonged, he had better give the Wallabies a good shake.
The Bok group has now grown to 41 but when Pollard and Willemse return, Jantjies will likely drop out. “We know what we have in Handré, he's won the World Cup for us,” said Erasmus.
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