We must learn from past, says Jantjies
Rudolph Jacobs
Last year’s final loss still hurts but in the end it could benefit them in the rematch of this year’s Super Rugby final against the Crusaders in Christchurch this weekend, according to flyhalf Elton Jantjies.
The Lions No 10 will appear in his third final but said they can’t dwell on the past and allow that to hinder them in their effort to finally go one better this weekend.
“It does hurt if you play 20 weeks and get to the final but don’t win it, but then you learn from that experience,” he said.
“But you can’t reflect on last year, it’s totally different, from the conference system to the way we got to the final was all different.
“We went through a rollercoaster with happenings on and off the field but we trust the unity and our team doctor has a ‘secret recipe’ how to combat jet-lag.”
Jantjies’ direct duel with clever Crusaders pivot Richie Ma’unga is seen as one of the key elements but Jantjies believes they are just two gears in a long chain.
“We don’t focus on individuals, it’s one system against another, he loves space and has quality around him like Ryan Crotty, but I can assure everyone it will be a quality game,” he said.
“It’s two teams who love scoring tries – we’ve scored one more (87 to 86) so it will be exciting.”
Jantjies said experience has taught them not to make the game bigger than it is already.
“Everything is relaxed, we will treat it as every single week, but obviously there are expectations.
“Nothing has really changed, the only thing really different is that we had to travel,” he said.
Jantjies said they don’t really feel pressure, as they are prepared, and said once you’ve been in two finals in a row, you can’t look for much better preparation.
“The past is the past, we can’t change it. We have to focus on the now, making sure the bodies are fresh and making sure we outlast them on Saturday,” he said.