Share

Jantjies v Jantjies at Ellis Park

Cape Town - It has been a long road to the top for Bulls flyhalf Tony Jantjies, but he finally made his Super Rugby debut in last weekend's clash against the Highlanders at Loftus. 

Tony replaced Tian Schoeman on 55 minutes, and while he couldn't stop his side from going down 17-10 on the day, he did enough to spark the Bulls into life and impress coach Nollis Marais. 

The result is that he keeps his place on the bench for this weekend's clash against the Lions at Ellis Park, while Francois Brummer returns from injury to take Schoeman's place. 

Elton Jantjies, meanwhile, keeps his place in the Lions side meaning that, if Marais makes a change at flyhalf before the Lions do then there will be a family affair as the two No 10s do battle. 

Elton (26) has long been a performer at the highest level and is the favourite to start at flyhalf for the Springboks in their June Tests against France, but Tony's (25) journey has been a lot tougher. 

Identified as a major talent from a young age, he was a part of the Bulls youth structures when he left school and was considered to have a bright future at the franchise, having played in back-to-back Craven Weeks in 2009 and 2010. 

Tony was also a part of the SA U-20 squad that won the Junior World Championship in 2012, though Handre Pollard was the first-choice flyhalf. 

Having joined the Kings in 2015, Tony was then released from his contract due to a "breach in protocol". 

Given a life-line by the Bulls last year, he has spent the past season-and-a-half working on his game and looking to put in the hard yards. 

With Pollard out injured and Schoeman in poor form, he now has an opportunity to take his chance and show that he, like his brother Elton, belongs on the highest stage. 

Kick-off on Saturday is at 17:15.

Teams:

Lions

15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sylvian Mahuza, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Ruan Ackermann, 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen

Substitutes: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Jacques Nel, 23 Anthony Volmink 

Bulls

15 Jesse Kriel, 14 Jade Stighling, 13 Jan Serfontein, 12 Burger Odendaal, 11 Sibahle Maxwane, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Rudy Paige, 8 Hanro Liebenberg (captain), 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Jason Jenkins, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Lizo Gqoboka

Substitutes: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Coenraad van Vuuren, 19 Abongile Nonkontwana, 20 Nic de Jager, 21 Ivan van Zyl, 22 Tony Jantjies, 23 Warrick Gelant

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2250 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE