Lions talisman Elton Jantjies may have played his last game for the franchise as he has been given the green light to join French Top 14 side Pau as a medical joker.
His contract with the Lions expires in June and unless he concludes a new deal‚ he would have played his last game for the team.
“Upon request from Elton Jantjies and in conjunction with SA Rugby‚ Lions Rugby Company has released the player for an opportunity as medical joker with French club Pau in preparation for the British & Irish Lions‚” the franchise said in a statement.
With the domestic season having ground to a halt‚ it was felt that Jantjies‚ whose last Test was against Canada in Kobe during the 2019 Rugby World Cup‚ was better served to play in Europe.
SA Rugby gave their blessing for the move as Jantjies will get game time in one of the sport's most unforgiving leagues.
With Handré Pollard still recovering from long-term injury‚ Jantjies will almost certainly be in the Boks mix for the much-anticipated series against the British & Irish Lions.
Pollard ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament while on duty for Montpellier in September last year.
Jantjies will be joining the struggling team in the Pyrenees as a medical joker‚ effectively a player who is added to a squad as an injury replacement. Pau have had it tough, winning only six of their Top 14 games this season. They are second-last on the points table‚ well above Agen.
Lourens Adriaanse‚ Jesse Mogg‚ Ben Mowen and Luke Whitelock are other former Super Rugby players at the club.
The 30-year-old Jantjies' only other experience playing abroad was with the Japanese outfit NTT Shining Arcs between 2014 and 2018.
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