Jantjies brothers may still face off at flyhalf
FANS who are eager to see what young Blue Bulls flyhalf Tony Jantjies can do against his elder brother and Golden Lions flyhalf Elton will have to wait until the latter gets a run off the bench at Loftus tomorrow.
The brothers were set to face off for the first time when the Bulls host the Lions, but Lions coach Johan Ackermann has opted for Marnitz Boshoff to start at flyhalf.
This is despite Ackermann hailing Elton as being on the upward curve after a decent showing in the 33-25 loss to the Sharks in Durban last Friday.
At the time, the Lions coach acknowledged that he faced a difficult challenge in having to choose between Elton and the in-form Boshoff at flyhalf.
“We are fortunate to have both Boshoff and Elton, and it is going to be a big challenge to keep both of them happy,” Ackermann said.
“I believe they are quality players and for a coach it is a nice situation to be in. We’ll definitely have to have a closer look as to when we play Elton and when we don’t.”
A year ago the notion of Elton not starting at the Lions would have been absurd, but an ill-fated stint on loan to the Stormers in the Super 15 seems to have hampered the Springbok’s standing.
The Lions have somewhat dominated this fixture over the past two years, winning handsomely thanks largely to Elton’s enterprising play and accurate boot.
Tony Jantjies, 21, the Bulls’ firstchoice pivot in his rookie season, would like nothing more than getting the better of his elder brother’s team to boost his confidence.
For years he has lived under the shadow of his talented brother, biding his time, waiting for his chance in the spotlight.
To do that, though, massive improvements must be made from last week’s narrow and dour 15-6 victory at home over Griquas.
The game was marginally better viewing than videos of the Namibian seal-clubbing custom.
The Bulls were erratic and inflexible, while Griquas were messy and error-ridden. But the men from Pretoria top the Currie Cup log, despite that unconvincing win, and will want to set up camp.
The Lions, meanwhile, will start former Bull Willie Wepener ahead of Martin Bezuidenhout at hooker, while lock Franco van der Merwe returns from Bok duty.
In tonight’s game, the Cheetahs, who host the Sharks in Bloemfontein, are at home for the first time in the competition after one win and one loss in their two games on the road. Naka Drotske’s men have yet to stamp their authority on the competition even though they have retained the bulk of the players that served them with aplomb in this year’s Super 15.