Cape Town - They’ve been in irresistible form in Super Rugby, and now it looks like Elton Jantjies and Lionel Mapoe will be ready to make their return to the Springbok side in next week’s first Test against Ireland at Newlands.
The Lions duo again sat out of practice in Stellenbosch on Thursday morning, with Jantjies unable to train at all this week due to a broken finger and Mapoe having picked up a slight muscle injury in the gym on Tuesday.
But the favourites for the Bok flyhalf and outside centre berths have been watching their teammates closely in training as they have been present on the field throughout, with Jantjies also taking part in kicking drills every day.
Bok backline coach Mzwandile Stick is confident that they will be able to face the Irish. “We’ve been getting a lot of positive report-backs from the medical staff. You can see sometimes they do get involved. I don’t think, with Lionel Mapoe, that there’s something bad. He just tweaked something in the gym session, so it’s just a matter of managing him well,” Stick said on Thursday.
“We know the situation with Elton – they said he’s going to be out for two to three weeks, but he’s also been doing very well to recover. We saw him getting involved today – he was holding the ball and stuff. And hopefully by next week, he will be able to train full-out with the team.”
That comes as a huge boost to coach Allister Coetzee, as Ireland reportedly lost their star pivot Johnny Sexton on Thursday with a shoulder injury which has ruled him out of the three-Test tour to South Africa, according to the Irish Independent. Ireland coach Joe Schmidt is set to confirm the news at a press conference later on Thursday.
Sexton played a huge role in the Boks’ demise the last time the two teams met, in Dublin in 2014, with the home side triumphing 29-15, with Sexton contributing 16 points with the boot. Paddy Jackson is set to start at No 10, with Ian Madigan likely to replace Sexton in the squad.
Stick spoke about his excitement in what is his first involvement with the national team. Having played an integral part in the Springbok Sevens side for many years, it is hoped that Stick could bring in some of those skills into the 15-man code going forward, particularly with regards to attacking space out wide – something the Boks have generally battled to do over the years.
“It’s been a great experience for me, and also an opportunity to work with the likes of Louis Koen and Johann van Graan, who have been there before, and also Allister Coetzee, who is like a mentor to me. It’s been great for me that we’ve been given the freedom to look after the boys and Allister is just overlooking all the stuff,” Stick said.
“My main job at the moment is the backline and to focus on the strike moves. I must always make sure that whatever I bring to the table, it must complement what the other coaches are doing. So I always consult with Louis in terms of what he wants to achieve with his kicking game, as we always want to achieve that balance in our play.
“Johann van Graan is also the attack coach, and we know when to attack, when to kick and when to keep our ball. There are many guys who came through the sevens system came through in 15s, like Gio Aplon and Ryan Kankowski, Seabelo Senatla and Cheslin Kolbe are being recognised. Sevens is doing well in terms of being a feeder for 15-man rugby.
“If you listen to Van Graan and Louis Koen, they are talking about attacking space – irrespective of whether you have ball-in-hand or with kicks. We want to capitalise on that. If you find space, you must go for it.”
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