Rugby World Cup winning Springbok outcast thrown coaching lifeline

Dylan Coetzee
South Africa back Elton Jantjies

Former Springboks fly-half Elton Jantjies.

Former Springboks fly-half Elton Jantjies has taken up a coaching role with youth rugby programme Rugga Schools in Johannesburg as he serves his four-year suspension for banned substances.

Jantjies, who won the 2019 Rugby World Cup, tested positive last year for Clenbuterol and received a four-year ban from January as a result which effectively ends the fly-half’s professional career.

The doping issue followed several other scandals involving the former Lions man including incidents damaging an aeroplane in flight before a well-publicised alleged affair with a Springbok team dietician in 2022.

Giving back

The 33-year-old confirmed the coaching news on his social media explaining that he wanted to use his time to give back to the game.

“I am joining the Rugga School as a kicking coach and the new attack coach. I am really looking forward to the opportunity and can’t wait to share my experience and my knowledge with the kids… That’s our next generation,” Jantjies wrote on social media.

“I have been thinking a lot about the new opportunity that occurred, joining the Rugga Schools. It’s something that I wanted to do post-rugby, but obviously, now that I have a little bit of time to sort out my things, I think [I can] use this time [here] and work with the Rugga School.”

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Experience

Whilst the latter stages of his career may not have gone according to his initial plan, Jantjies does have a wealth of experience at the highest level with the Springboks as well as over 1,000 Super Rugby points for the Lions which will make him a useful addition to the Rugga Schools structure.

Jantjies is not the only South Africa to run into trouble with banned substances as former Springboks Aphiwe Dyantyi and Stormers lock Hendre Stassen have both recently returned from long-term bans.

READ MORE: Jasper Wiese: When you play for the Springboks, you put your own desires behind you

Internationals Elton Jantjies