‘The fire burns in me again’: Herschel Jantjies on being in Bok setup

Scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies said being recalled to the Springbok setup after a three-year absence had reignited his passion to play for his country, making him feel seven or eight years younger.

“The fire burns in me again,” said the 30-year-old, who promised to play his heart out against the Wallabies on Sunday.

Jantjies is one of 13 changes to the Springbok starting XV for Perth (kick-off 11.45am) after coming off the bench in just one Nations Championship match against Wales in July, where he scored a try, and sitting out the entire Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks.

Before Wales, Jantjies last played for the Springboks against Argentina in August 2023, which itself was a one-off Test for the player after a 12-month absence.

His lengthy spell on the sidelines comes despite four years with the Springboks, starting with his debut against Australia in 2019, and a memorable World Cup that year, though he mostly played from the bench as cover for Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach.

But injuries and the rise of other scrumhalves in his time away saw Jantjies move down the pecking order and be consigned to the fringes of selection.

Still, the No 9 chose to be positive and look at the competition for places as healthy.

Jantjies to follow Krappie’s example

“The competition [between] the nines in the squad is amazing,” Jantjies said.

“We challenge each other in a healthy sense. Grant [Williams], Krappie [Morné van den Berg], Cobus, all great players. Each one of them has something special that they bring to the game and it is very important to me that I can learn from them, learn from the coaches.”

He said it was enriching to watch Van den Berg produce such a strong performance against the All Blacks in the final Test in Baltimore.

“Just to see how he came on and went about his work… I would like to think that I can go on this weekend and take the opportunity in a similar fashion.

“[The competition] doesn’t make it easier for me, but it gives me the energy to want to show the coaches and say to the team I do belong… with the prep we’ve been putting in since I joined camp, all the learnings, I can showcase that on the weekend.”

Jantjies admitted much had changed in the Bok setup over the years but he was soaking up everything assistant coaches Tony Brown, Jerry Flannery and Felix Jones were teaching him.

Forever thankful for family

He said his passion had never entirely died out, but being in the Bok setup, “I again feel like a young 22, 23-year-old Herschel Jantjies”.

On a personal note, his wife Kelsey and young daughter Alyssa-Rose are very close to his heart. They inspire him to keep going with their boundless energy and love for him even after tough training sessions.

Their support in France last season, where Jantjies played for Bayonne while trying to expand his game in another country, made him appreciate them all the more. He said he was “forever thankful” for them.