Why it is unfair to single out Elton Jantjies for Boks’ first Wales Test woes

South African rugby fans can be extremely harsh on Springbok players. And, for whatever reason, some get criticised a whole lot more than others – like Elton Jantjies.

The former Lions No 10 was one of the big talking points after last week’s first Bok Test against Wales and while he certainly didn’t perform up to his high standards in the 40 minutes he was on the field, he was given no platform to play well.

This was a big opportunity for Jantjies, who so often has to play in the shadow of Handre Pollard, but he was unable to fire because those in front of him – his forwards – dropped him badly. As a unit, the Boks flopped up front, and that impacted on the No 10, who was unable to dictate play like he would have liked.

The Boks’ game-plan starts up front, always, and when they don’t fire in the forwards, the impact is felt in the backs.

Sure, the selection of Jantjies was a bit bizarre considering he hadn’t played competitively for weeks, but to blame him for the shoddy showing in the first half against Wales is unfair. I wonder how he would have performed in the second half when the Boks did get some dominance? We’ll never know, but I’m sure a quality and seasoned operator like him would have come into his own – like he’s done so many times in the past, for the Lions and Boks.

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The big “winner” last weekend was obviously Damian Willemse, who showed he is very much the future of the Bok backline. His versatility means he covers a number of positions and can also relieve the pressure when the Boks opt to go into a match with six forwards and two backs on the bench.

Willemse is full of confidence right now, following a successful URC campaign with the Stormers, and hopefully he can now build on this and become a regular in the Bok 23.

Looking ahead to today’s second Test, the public will finally get their answer as to whether Evan Roos is the real deal or not because there’s been plenty of noise made about the Stormers No 8. The same goes for men like Deon Fourie, Marcell Coetzee, Andre Esterhuizen, Warrick Gelant, Aphelele Fassi and Ruan Nortje, who have received a lot of public support in recent months but remained on the fringes of the Bok squad.

All these men though have played well and have justified their inclusion in the very big Bok squad, but they must now show they belong in the mix.

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It’s an exciting team picked by coach Jacques Nienaber for the Test in Bloemfontein, but the big question is, will we see more enterprise on attack, or will the Boks stick to a forwards, scrum-lineout heavy approach?

What I’d like to see is a bit more ball-in-hand rugby by the Boks because they’ve certainly got the players with X-factor to produce something quite thrilling.

Some Wales supporters and former players have moaned somewhat about the Bok side picked for this match, suggesting the “B” team is “disrespectful” of their team, but if that is so, then they must go out and show it to be the case.

It should be an intriguing Test, one that I think the Boks will also win – by 15 or more.