Team man Elton Jantjies looks ahead to Wallabies clash

Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies says he is looking forward to getting more minutes under his belt after being named in the matchday 23 to face Australia this weekend.

Jantjies made his return from injury in the opening Springbok test of 2022 against Wales at Loftus.

The 43 test cap international was replaced at halftime after a woeful display but returns to the matchday 23 this weekend.

Commenting on his flyhalf when announcing his squad to tackle the Wallabies, head coach Jacques Nienaber said that he is confident that Jantjies would be vastly improved against Australia. 

"In terms of Elton's form, and others like Frans (Steyn) and Duane (Vermeulen) who haven't played, the only place where we've been able to see them is at training sessions." said Nienaber.

"We really push the training sessions to be as hard as a game, or at match intensity. He's been performing well, so I expect him to be a lot sharper."

Speaking to the Media on Wednesday, Jantjies said that he was looking forward to the match after spending the past few weeks ensuring that he was ready for a call up and helping his teammates prepare.

"Yeah, obviously against Wales I had about 40 minutes and it was quite nice to be on the park after an injury," Jantjies said.

"But it's been about working hard over the past five weeks and just making sure I'm ready and stay ready [for whenever I might get called up]. I'm looking forward to the weekend."

Last year Jantjies produced an excellent performance from the bench to help his side defeat New Zealand. He returns in a similar role this week as South Africa move to a 5-3 split on the bench.

Commenting on his performance last year and the role of the famed 'Bomb Squad', Jantjies said: "For us, it's about the 15 starting initially and as a bench we need to have a certain impact too. It’s not about an individual."

"We had a certain moment [last year against the All Blacks] where all of us were switched on. We were on the same page."

"It was just about an individual taking the opportunity created," said Jantjies.

"In this group, what we do is for the team. It's not about individuals. Of course you have you personal objectives as a player, but when you join the Boks it's about making sacrifices. We all have a plan and we prepare each other accordingly. That's how things work."