Springboks flyhalf Elton Jantjies has been given a ringing endorsement by his coach Allister Coetzee ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash against Ireland.
Coetzee says his pivot must take control and get the Bok pack moving forward and turn the Irish around in the series decider at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
If it is a close run contest then the pressure will be firmly on playmaker Jantjies’ young shoulders to help steer the Boks to victory with a well executed game management plan.
Jantjies’ goal-kicking radar was not always finely tuned when the Boks won 32-26 in Johannesburg and every point will have to be taken if the Boks are to emerge victorious.
Asked if he was happy with Jantjies’ game management, Coetzee said: “The big thing is sometimes the media pushes the players in a certain way ... best attacking, brilliant guy.
“The player has to understand there is always a balance to it. Test rugby is not about just your attacking ability, but its about the balance of a number 10 needing to take control.
“Elton can do that and it is a discussion we had the other day. He can bring balance and Elton has an educated boot. It is just to make sure that his decision-making, and he is doing it at the right time, is important.
“I think Elton did really well. Sometimes it was maybe not always the best executed kick if I think about one that did not go out, and he knows about that.
“If it does not go out the defence will look after that bad kick. Elton has got the balance and really got the ability to give direction to the team and to turn the Irish around and get our pack playing forward.”
Coetzee also has full confidence in Jantjies’ goal-kicking.
“It is an individual skill like the hooker throwing in. It is a work-on. Elton has the ability to hit the zone and hopefully he can get that right this weekend.
“That is the other reason I have Ruan Combrinck in the squad as an additional goal-kicker and long-range goal-kicker. If all else goes wrong, we also have Morne Steyn who can do the business as well.”
Coetzee said there would be many ways to apply pressure on the Irish.
“It can be through your attack, defence or your kicking game,” the Bok coach said.
“That last 20 minutes in Johannesburg was a lot of everything and it was a really complete display of all aspects of the game being put together.
“Now it is about resetting. The second half last 20 minutes is really what we want to see more of now.”
The Bok coach said the impact of the bench in the second half in Johannesburg would not have an affect on how he viewed the selection of his starting line-up.
“Test rugby will always be a game of two halves,” said Coetzee.
“The first half is a battle of attrition and how do you know that the guys who started the first half did not do their job for the rest to come finish?
“It is going to be very tight and close in the first half and we just need to be more accurate. If you have a bench they must make an impact and it is fortunate that those guys did their job.”
Meanwhile, Ireland’s ace lineout forward Devin Toner says his team are anticipating that the South Africans will start the deciding Test with the style of play that they finished off with in Johannesburg.
“We are definitely expecting them to start like they played in the last quarter in Johannesburg,” said the lock.
“After putting it together and winning like they did, they will have the confidence to play that way now.
“For us it is crucial that we just don’t allow them to pick up the momentum early in the game that they enjoyed towards the end of the last one.”
Jantjies must be X-factor in Test
Coetzee says his pivot must take control and get the Bok pack moving forward and turn the Irish around in the series decider at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
If it is a close run contest then the pressure will be firmly on playmaker Jantjies’ young shoulders to help steer the Boks to victory with a well executed game management plan.
Jantjies’ goal-kicking radar was not always finely tuned when the Boks won 32-26 in Johannesburg and every point will have to be taken if the Boks are to emerge victorious.
Asked if he was happy with Jantjies’ game management, Coetzee said: “The big thing is sometimes the media pushes the players in a certain way ... best attacking, brilliant guy.
“The player has to understand there is always a balance to it. Test rugby is not about just your attacking ability, but its about the balance of a number 10 needing to take control.
“Elton can do that and it is a discussion we had the other day. He can bring balance and Elton has an educated boot. It is just to make sure that his decision-making, and he is doing it at the right time, is important.
“I think Elton did really well. Sometimes it was maybe not always the best executed kick if I think about one that did not go out, and he knows about that.
“If it does not go out the defence will look after that bad kick. Elton has got the balance and really got the ability to give direction to the team and to turn the Irish around and get our pack playing forward.”
Coetzee also has full confidence in Jantjies’ goal-kicking.
“It is an individual skill like the hooker throwing in. It is a work-on. Elton has the ability to hit the zone and hopefully he can get that right this weekend.
“That is the other reason I have Ruan Combrinck in the squad as an additional goal-kicker and long-range goal-kicker. If all else goes wrong, we also have Morne Steyn who can do the business as well.”
Coetzee said there would be many ways to apply pressure on the Irish.
“It can be through your attack, defence or your kicking game,” the Bok coach said.
“That last 20 minutes in Johannesburg was a lot of everything and it was a really complete display of all aspects of the game being put together.
“Now it is about resetting. The second half last 20 minutes is really what we want to see more of now.”
The Bok coach said the impact of the bench in the second half in Johannesburg would not have an affect on how he viewed the selection of his starting line-up.
“Test rugby will always be a game of two halves,” said Coetzee.
“The first half is a battle of attrition and how do you know that the guys who started the first half did not do their job for the rest to come finish?
“It is going to be very tight and close in the first half and we just need to be more accurate. If you have a bench they must make an impact and it is fortunate that those guys did their job.”
Meanwhile, Ireland’s ace lineout forward Devin Toner says his team are anticipating that the South Africans will start the deciding Test with the style of play that they finished off with in Johannesburg.
“We are definitely expecting them to start like they played in the last quarter in Johannesburg,” said the lock.
“After putting it together and winning like they did, they will have the confidence to play that way now.
“For us it is crucial that we just don’t allow them to pick up the momentum early in the game that they enjoyed towards the end of the last one.”
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