Herschel Jantjies: Springboks Star Future in Doubt After Just One Season
Springbok scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies could be heading for an early exit from French club Bayonne, with reports emerging that the Top 14 side is open to releasing the 30-year-old less than a year into his two-year contract.
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Jantjies joined Bayonne from the Stormers ahead of last season, but his debut campaign was disrupted by a thumb injury sustained early in the year. He still managed 20 appearances and crossed for two tries before the season concluded.
**Bayonne Open to Releasing Jantjies**
According to RugbyPass, Bayonne director of rugby Laurent Travers is now prepared to allow Jantjies to depart. The timing is notable given that the club recently lost experienced scrumhalves Maxime Machenaud and Baptiste Germain ahead of the upcoming campaign. Travers had initially earmarked Jantjies as the first-choice option to fill that void, leaving the club with Léo Coly and Baptiste Tilloles as their remaining senior alternatives at the position.
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The primary concern at Bayonne appears to be Jantjies's growing involvement with the Springboks. Club officials are reportedly worried that international call-ups could leave them short at scrumhalf during key stretches of the domestic season.
**Jantjies Back in Springbok Contention**
The uncertainty at club level arrives at a particularly inconvenient moment for Jantjies on the international stage. Coach Rassie Erasmus recalled him to the Springbok squad after a three-year absence, and the scrumhalf marked his return by scoring a try off the bench in South Africa's 43-0 Nations Championship win over Wales.
He has since kept his place in the squad for next month's one-off Test against Argentina and is expected to feature in the remaining matches of the international calendar.
Erasmus is understood to prefer Jantjies playing his rugby at a South African URC club, which would simplify squad management and reduce travel demands on the player. However, no obvious openings exist at any of the local franchises at this stage, making an immediate return to South African club rugby unlikely.
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Source: Briefly News
