74 |8 AUGUST^2019 http://www.drum.co.za

A DREAM

DEBUT

HerschelJantjiesgot hisSpringbokcareeroff

toa flyingstartwithtwobrilliantRugby

Championshipgames BYKIMABRAHAMS

A

FTER after his dazzling
Springbok debut he told
his mother he wasn’t go-
ing to make a big deal
of it.
In fact, he said, he
didn’t want to talk about
his rugby at all until he’d
helped the Boks win against the biggest
guns of them all: the All Blacks.
“It was my first game,” Herschel Jantjies

told his mom, Adeline. “And the first
match isn’t anything to talk about.”
Well, maybe not for him but his perfor-

mance in that electrifying first game
against Australia at Ellis Park was all the
rest of the country could talk about.
Two incredible tries on debut, a man

of the match award and a substantial

hand in helping South Africa to a 35-17

victory – it was quite an achievement for

the 23-year-old.

But Herschel himself was adamant:

the All Blacks were the team that really

mattered.

And the young man from the small

Western Cape community of Kylemore

near Stellenbosch, has earned himself

bragging rights now. The Springboks

might not have beaten New Zealand but

they came pretty close – and they have

Herschel to thank for that.

The Boks looked set for defeat when

the scrumhalf scored the team’s only try

with 40 seconds to spare in the Rugby

Championship game in Wellington in

New Zealand on 27 July. And the score of

16-16 was celebrated by the Boks almost

as much if they’d won the game.

Minutes after the final whistle,

Herschel broke his silence. “To be

honest, I didn’t really think,” he said

of hisgame-changing move. “I just

wantedto get the ball in my hands and

scorethe try.

“I could’ve got it closer to the posts [ for

theconversion] but luckily Handrè Pol-

lardkicked it over for us.”

Backin Kylemore, Adeline (48) was

bursting with pride. That was her hum-

bleboy– deflecting glory and paying

homageto the rest of the team.

Sheand her husband, Sammy (50),

wereglued to the TV for their eldest son’s

secondSpringbok game, the thrill of his

debutstill fresh in their minds.

Theywere in Johannesburg with their

younger son, Sammy Jo (20), to watch

Herschel run out in the green and gold

andAdeline couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Ican’t explain the feeling,” she tells

DRUM. “It was an emotional moment.

Just talking about it makes me want to

cry all over again. It was overwhelming.”

Adeline says she asked her boy before

the Wallabies game to “just give Mommy

a try or two”.

“He then said, ‘Mommy please, I’m

there to create tries, not score them’. But

I’ll be honest with you, I knew he was go-

ing to score a try.”

After the game against the All Blacks,

former Bok player and coach Nick Mallet

joked Herschel should consider retire-

ment although he had only two Test caps

to his name. Because how could he top

such a brilliant start to his international

career?

Coach Rassie Erasmus cautioned

against praising the young player too

LEFTandRIGHT:

Herschelmade

animpressive

international

debutwhenhe

scoredtwotries

inSouthAfrica’s

firstRugby

Championship

gameagainst

Australia.