Jantjies v Russell: Who will come out on top?
SPOTLIGHT: Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies knows that Finn Russell has all the capabilities to be a match-winner for Scotland on Saturday.
Jantjies has been given the No.10 jersey for the clash at Murrayfield and he knows all too well what Russell is capable of with ball in hand.
The Scottish playmaker is one of the best attacking No.10s in the game and he showed glimpses of that in the third Test of the British and Irish Lions series.
Jantjies is no slouch either when it comes to ball-in-hand play and his battle with Russell will be an intriguing one on Saturday.
“We all saw what he [Russell] was capable of in that last Test against the British and Irish Lions,” Jantjies told reporters during an online conference on Wednesday.
“I think he made a big difference and he challenged our group differently, so we got a little bit of experience with that.
“For us, it is just about focusing on our systems and working together as a group and making sure that we stop whatever he is throwing at us.”
Jantjies added: “It’s not the same team we faced in 2018. It’s a different looking Scotland team.
“They give us different challenges and it’s younger players that are full of energy.
“Playing against the world champions will always motivate teams, so we are just looking forward to Saturday.”
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Meanwhile, Russell has said he “might kick a lot” to throw the Boks off guard on Saturday.
However, Jantjies is not reading too much into those comments.
“Let’s see on Saturday what they are going to bring out,” said the Bok flyhalf.
“We will see in the first 10 or 15 minutes the way they want to play against us and hopefully we find solutions.”
@rugby365com
1️⃣ day closer to the Scotland Test in Edinburgh! Kick-off is 15h00 (SA time) on Saturday. #StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/w5QNvmIluV
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 10, 2021
