Johannesburg — The narrative these past few weeks within the Springbok camp has been all about second chances and opportunities.
Both director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber have mused thoughtfully on the subject and taken a pragmatic approach as they decide who will play in the Rugby Championship and beyond this season.
Some players will be getting that second chance due to the new eligibility rules of World Rugby, such as Jean Kleyn. Others still will have an opportunity until the very last moment to prove their fitness, and their value to the greater cause.
The former can specifically relate to Siya Kolisi, who is recuperating from a serious injury, while the latter weighs squarely on Elton Jantjies’ shoulders.
The 32-year-old flyhalf’s alleged indiscretions in 2022 are well documented and his return to the Bok fold last week was not wholly unexpected due to a mini-injury crisis at pivot. Handre Pollard is set to miss the opening match of the Championship against Australia on July 8, while Damain Willemse is touch-and-go for that clash, too.
The reintroduction of Jantjies into the squad was then necessary and on Tuesday, both Nienaber and Erasmus were at pains to explain their reasoning behind recalling the embattled flyhalf and the role that he will fulfil.
Said Nienaber: “With the two injuries that we had last week, we only had Manie (Libbok) standing in as the flyhalf ...
“He is close to 50 Test matches, and he has been in our environment. It is nice to get him in the mix for the two injured guys. In a week or two’s time, we can have all four of them.
“Elton is probably our fourth choice flyhalf. We are lucky in terms of depth to have a guy of his standard as a fourth choice.”
It was a sentiment shared by Erasmus.
“In 2020,” said the former Bok captain, “Elton was chosen as South Africa’s Super Rugby Player of the Decade.
“With a player that has been with us — like Kwagga (Smith) or Pieter-Steph du Toit — it is easy to evaluate those guys because you know them. You can (easily) look at his actions, his fitness, and how he is doing …
“We don’t want Handre and Damian to be forced into a corner to be ready for the first Test; not when you have a guy that is sitting on 47 Tests, who just recently won the All Blacks game for us, and who started for us last year against Australia. There are not a lot of things that he must learn. It comes down to his input regarding the younger players as well ...
“He deserves a chance,” Erasmus added.
“I’m not sure if he will play in the Australian Test. It will depend on how quickly Damian recovers — that will be our marker.”
IOL Sport