Cape Town — It's a masterstroke by SA director if Rassie Erasmus and Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber to bring Elton Jantjies into the fold as injury cover for Handré Pollard and Damian Willemse ahead of the Rugby Championship.
The flyhalf joined the Bok squad on Sunday as they started the second week of preparation ahead of the shortened southern hemisphere tournament. South Africa will start their international Test season against Australia in the first match on 8 July, and Jantjies arrives just in time as the backup to Manie Libbok.
Libbok, after two stellar seasons in the United Rugby Championship, has rightfully overtaken Jantjies as the third-choice Springbok flyhalf, but his inexperience and injuries to Pollard and Willemse forced the Bok think tank to bring in the experience of Jantjies.
It’s a perfect opportunity for Libbok to learn from the experienced Jantjies not just about the Boks’ setup, but also how to handle the pressure of being a flyhalf of colour for the national team. Despite winning the URC with the Stormers, and finishing as runners-up this season, Libbok has copped a lot of flack just like Jantjies has in the past.
Jantjies had the same situation a few years ago, despite helping the Lions reach back-to-back Super Rugby finals. Even after he achieved that, he has always been criticised, most times unfairly, when he has pulled the Bok 10 or a replacement jersey over his head.
Despite what Libbok has done, he should brace himself for what is to come his way when the Boks are not doing good when he is the flyhalf in charge or on the bench. It is highly likely that Libbok will start against the Wallabies, so Jantjies has about three weeks to help prepare him for things waiting on and off the field.
There is no doubt that Libbok will be thrown in by the deep end, and doing it so shortly before the World Cup can either be positive or it can dent his confidence ahead of the tournament.
He is a confidence player, and if he doesn’t gain that Bok momentum early on with the team, it could be a difficult task building it during the World Cup. And with Pollard and Willemse out for a bit, it opens the door for Nienaber and company to put him out there in what could definitely be seen as a risk-reward situation.
If Libbok strikes form on the international front, the Boks will most likely head to the World Cup with three match-winning pivots. They will be able to adapt their squad and game plan to whatever the matches ask of them. If Libbok strikes out, though, questions will be asked if he is ready for the challenges of Test rugby.
But he has shown his mettle and bounced back from tough situations when it’s required of him. He will do the same if it’s required at the Boks.
Having Jantjies around, together with the rest of the Bok coaches, Libbok should be equipped to swim in his first Rugby Championship tournament.
IOL Sport