Cape Town – It’s been a tough old 2022 for Elton Jantjies, on and off the field.
But the Springbok flyhalf says he is “feeling good” at the moment ahead of Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash against the Wallabies in Adelaide (7.30am kickoff).
Having turned 32 earlier this month, Jantjies is one of the senior statesmen in the Bok squad, with 45 Test caps to his name.
He was well short of his best when he started against Wales at Loftus in early July, having had little game time with his Japanese club NTT Red Hurricanes due to injury.
Jantjies battled with his tactical kicking and missed a couple of shots at goal as well, and he was taken off at halftime, with Damian Willemse shifting from fullback to flyhalf.
But having been out of the mix since, Jantjies has had time to get into peak shape on and off the pitch, and will hope to make another major contribution off the bench at the Adelaide Oval to replicate last year’s effort against the All Blacks.
Not only did he land the winning penalty for a 31-29 triumph at Gold Coast, but Jantjies also created Makazole Mapimpi’s try with a well-timed pass and slotted a vital drop-goal.
“I had 40 minutes against Wales, which was quite nice, to be on the park after an injury. Everything was about ... to work hard for three, four, five weeks, and just to make sure that I am ready and stay ready. But ja, feeling good for the weekend, and looking forward to it,” Jantjies said.
“For us, it’s all about the 15 guys making sure they perform their roles while they are still starting, and then obviously for us on the bench, to have a certain impact or certain strategy on how we want to finish the game.
“It’s not about an individual … I think as a group last year, we had a certain moment and everybody was switched on – the guys who played off the bench and the starting guys. We were on the same page, so it’s up to the individual to take that opportunity when it’s on.”
The Boks last beat the Wallabies in Australia in 2013, and this group of World Cup winners will be determined to set that record straight on Saturday.
The Australians seem to have the South Africans’ number, especially with regards to their attacking game, but Jantjies stated that the Boks won’t get ahead of themselves in terms of how their opponents will approach Saturday’s match.
“We had a good look this week, in terms of the preparation, at (the fact that) we haven’t won here in a couple of years. It’s another opportunity as a group to grow and to learn on Saturday, and hopefully whatever we plan this week will come off on Saturday,” he said.
“We will find that (Australia’s game plan) out in the first 10 minutes – I don’t think we can say now whether they will run against us or use their kicking game or whatever …
“Last year they kicked much more, and in previous years, they ran more. We will have a look in the first 10 to 20 minutes, and then look at ourselves as a team to find solutions for that.”
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