Elton Jantjies Biography
Elton Thomas Jantjies is a South African professional rugby union player who was born on August 1, 1990. He currently competes for the South African national team, the NTT Red Hurricanes of the Japan Rugby Football Union, and the Golden Lions of the Currie Cup. Jantjies’s full name is Elton Thomas Jantjies.
During the 2011 season of Super Rugby, Jantjies made his professional debut with the Lions (Super Rugby), and he made his international debut with the Springboks during the inaugural Rugby Championship. Both of these debuts occurred in the same year. He was awarded the SARU Young Player of the Year award in 2010, as well as the SA U20 Player of the Year award, both of which are considered to be among the most prestigious honors in the sport (2010).
There were rumors circulating in June 2014 that Jantjies had signed a deal with the Japanese team NTT Communications Shining Arcs, who competes in the Top League. As a result of this move, he would no longer be eligible to compete in the Premier Division in the 2014 Currie Cup.
Domestic career
Golden Lions: 2011–14
As a result of Jantjies’ flawless performance in the 2011 Currie Cup final, in which the Golden Lions defeated the Sharks by a score of 42–16, he earned the reputation of being a “clutch performer.” Jantjies’ perfect shooting performance earned the Golden Lions the trophy. Because of his efforts, he was awarded the Man of the Match trophy.
Super Rugby: 2011–2020
In 2011, Jantjies made his first appearance in Super Rugby for the Lions. After the Lions were demoted from the South African conference, he made a temporary move to the Stormers in order to play for them for the 2013 season. When opposed to his previous season with the Lions, during which he had an 86% success rate in goal-kicking, his time spent with the Stormers was not particularly fruitful. He rejoined the Lions, who were subsequently promoted back to the Super Rugby tournament upon his return.
Jantjies was an integral part of the Lions’ run to the finals in both 2016 and 2017, when they were defeated in front of their home fans in Johannesburg by the Crusaders. In 2016, the Lions fell to the Hurricanes in Wellington, while in 2017, they fell to the Crusaders in front of their home crowd in Johannesburg. In addition, Jantjies finished the 2017 season with 203 points, making him the player with the most points overall in the league.
International career
Jantjies made his debut for the Springboks in a non-test, uncapped game against the Barbarians in the 2010 end of year tests. However, Jantjies made his debut for the South African national rugby union team in a test match during the inaugural Rugby Championship on September 29, 2012 against Australia at Loftus Versfeld.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup squad for South Africa includes Jantjies as a player to watch out for.
The tournament was ultimately won by South Africa, who prevailed over England in the championship match.
International tries
| Try | Opponent | Location | Venue | Competition | Date | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Durban, South Africa | Kings Park Stadium | 2017 France tour of South Africa | 17 June 2017 | Win | 37–15 |
| 2 |  Argentina |
Salta, Argentina | Padre Ernesto Stadium | 2017 Rugby Championship | 26 August 2017 | Win | 23–41 |
Personal life
He is the older brother of Tony Jantjies, who plays fly-half for the team. His father, Thomas Jantjies, passed away in the hospital after being bitten by a bee just a few weeks before his son joined the Stormers. In earlier interviews, Jantjies has referred to his father as both his guide and his kicking coach.
After charges of inappropriate behavior with Zeenat Simjee, the Springboks nutritionist, surfaced in September 2022 while the Springboks squad was in Buenos Aires, Jantjies was suspended from the Springboks squad and removed from the team. During the test series against New Zealand, it was reported that he spent a night away from the team at a separate hotel (a highly unusual procedure for athletes), where guests allegedly heard the two having sexual experiences and then arguing. He checked out of the hotel without paying the bill, and he didn’t pay the balance until several weeks later. Iva Ristic, Jantjies’ wife and the mother of his three children, is also the mother of Jantjies. According to a press statement issued by Springbok on September 11, 2022, the following was stated:
