Boks 'let Elton down'

13 September 2016 - 09:46 By LIAM DEL CARME

Elton Jantjies' swagger may belie a lack of confidence but the rest of the Springbok team is letting him down. That is the view of Butch James, the former Bok flyhalf and Jantjies's former teammate at the Lions. Jantjies' performances for the Springboks under coach Allister Coetzee have invited scrutiny. Although he hasn't performed with the confidence that characterised his play in Super rugby, there are mitigating factors for his underwhelming showing for the Boks."In order for Elton to play well he is going to need options," said James. "The players around him simply don't give him options."Not enough players are offering themselves as ball-carrying options and his teammates are letting Elton down," said James.He agrees Jantjies' confidence has taken a dent but points to his resilience. "Every time he has made a mistake he seems to put it behind him and bounces back."He believes Jantjies should be given time to grow. "Elton has matured a lot. He is still relatively young to Test rugby. Obviously at Test level he has less time to do certain things and the pressure is bigger. He needs to grow in that position. That comes with time."Coetzee knows the Boks' game needs to evolve but he is not prepared to completely abandon the grinding game just yet.Coetzee has given scrumhalf Faf de Klerk and fullback Johan Goosen the thumbs up to be eligible for selection for this weekend's clash against the All Blacks in Christchurch...

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