Jantjies fails to perform

A Super Rugby final in Christchurch was an opportunity for Elton Jantjies to produce a career-defining performance that might change his reputation.

Instead, it turned into confirmation of what his critics felt they already knew.

The Lions stepped up early and played good finals football in the early minutes, and Jantjies was at one point lauded for his willingness to take the ball at the line.

But he really looked a bit jittery and nervous and lacked the conviction needed from the backline director for the Lions’ early ascendancy to put points on the scoreboard.

Perhaps the Kiwi commentators’ remarks on his taking the ball flat sum it up.

The Lions flyhalf does have weaknesses plain to see and later on in the half – as it really started to go pear-shaped for the Lions – the commentators lamented his tendency to drop back into the pocket and the influence it had on the shift in the momentum.

It was during those 10 errorridden minutes from the Jantjies walkabout that the Crusaders effectively won the game in the face of what was otherwise a strong challenge from the Lions.

Poorly directed kicks and a fateful misunderstanding of the laws of the game, when he reached over the line before dotting down thinking the law was on his side, when it wasn’t, played into Crusaders’ hands.

Even in those early minutes when it looked as if the Lions were all over them, the New Zealanders were showing the trademark signs of Kiwi rugby excellence.

They did not dominate possession, so they stepped up their defensive game.

From the start they left the Lions needing to score with every half-chance they had, but unfortunately they wasted their one good opportunity, created by an excellent Ruan Combrinck break, through poor decisionmaking.

One of the pillars of the Crusaders’ success was the way they blunted the threat posed by Malcolm Marx and Kwagga Smith.

This was an example of a Kiwi coaching team doing their homework and it paying off.

There was also a strong early statement by the Crusaders when they pushed the Lions back as they tried to maul attacking lineouts, and one of the essential differences between SA and New Zealand in the post-isolation era was much in evidence – the Kiwis are just smarter.

This was evidenced in the Lions’ persistence with tactics that clearly weren’t working, and even later on, when they had an advantage in numbers after Ryan Crotty’s yellow card, they set up a lineout when they should have gone for a scrum.

New Zealanders are still some way ahead in skill levels.

The first try had several elements of quintessential Kiwi attacking play in it.

The Lions won enough ball, though, for Jantjies to make a more telling contribution than he did.

The star role played by his opposite number Richie Mo’unga, who directed the Crusaders well, only drew greater attention to the visiting pivot’s failure to take control.

This must surely be a point of concern for Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus.

I’ve argued before that Jantjies should be retained in the group as he boasts experience that shouldn’t be thrown away.

What happens if Handre Pollard is injured and Damian Willemse doesn’t come through?

But there is also surely a limit to the number of times that Jantjies can fluff his lines in the big pressure moments and still be persisted with.