Scrum-half Eugene Jantjies is the second-most capped player in the Namibian rugby squad and will be going to his third World Cup in England next month.
Although he only turned 29 earlier this month, Jantjies has already represented Namibia in 43 Test matches, which puts him joint second on the all-time list with Tinus du Plessis and behind Johnny Redelinghuys who has 46 caps.
Jantjies is also one of Namibia’s few full-time professional players, having played professionally in Romania for the past six years.
He was born and bred in Gobabis where he started playing rugby from a young age at Nossobville Primary School.
“I started playing rugby at school when I was six or seven and it just stuck since then. I also did well at athletics and even made the national Under 14 hockey team, but rugby was my first love,” he said.
He made the Namibian Under 13 Craven Week team as a fullback and was offered a sport bursary to join Windhoek High School the following year.
By Grade 10 he had broken into their first team and became a key member of their all-conquering team for the next three years, playing as a fullback, fly-half or scrum-half.
“We won the Metropolitan Cup three years in a row and I was in the team in all three years. (Namibian centre) Darryl de la Harpe was also in that team and one year we actually played as a scrum-half and fly-half combination,” he said.
He started playing for Western Suburbs in the Premier League and was soon called up to the national squad by then-coach Johan Venter, who convinced him to play scrum-half.
“I mainly played fullback in my early years, but coach Johan said I would have a better opportunity of making the national side if I played scrum-half.
He adapted easily and his first call-up came in 2005 when he came on as a substitute against Kenya, while he made his starting debut against Tunisia in a final World Cup qualifying match in Windhoek the following year.
“It was a memorable debut for me. We had to beat Tunisia to make the World Cup and we did that, so it was a nice debut and I still remember it was raining that night,” he said.
Eugene made Namibia’s 2007 World Cup team in France, and recalls that it was a tough tournament.
“It was my first time at one of the biggest competitions in the world so I was nervous and I didn’t know what to expect, so it was most probably the hardest. We did well in our first game against Ireland, but after that we had some injuries so it became harder,” he said.
Jantjies had meanwhile been offered a contract to play in Romania, following his performances for Namibia at the 2007 Nations Cup in Bucharest, and the following year he joined Farul Constanta Rugby Club.
“I arrived in Constanta in February when it was freezing cold at minus 25 degrees. I took a while to get used to life in Romania and Constanta had a scrum-half from Georgia’s national team so it took me quite a while to break into the first team,” he said.
Due to his versatility he however also played in other positions and since he was also a good goal kicker he became an established member of the team by 2009.
He remained there for the next six years, bar a short break in 2012 when he played for the Leopards in South Africa, and became a top player for the team.
“We won two consecutive Sevens titles and reached the Super League semifinals twice. I also adapted well in Romania and taught myself to speak their language,” he said.
In 2011 he was once again selected for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and although Namibia lost all of its matches he had a good tournament.
“In 2001 we played pretty well in our first games against Fiji and Samoa, but then came up against two top professional teams in South Africa and Wales.”
Now, going to his third World Cup, Jantjies believes that this team is the best one of them all.
“This World Cup is probably going to be the best one for us as a group. We have a fantastic group of players and I think we are getting together as a family slowly but surely. The competition in the squad is also very strong and I think we’ll have a very good team at the World Cup,” he said.
One on One with Eugene Jantjies
When and where were you born?
10 August 1986 in Gobabis.
Nossobville Primary and Windhoek High School.
Who had a big inlfluence on your life?
When I was growing up two coaches had a big influence on my life. Firstly my coach at Nossobville Primary School, Hein Husselmann who always pushed me to the limit and that’s how I made the Craven Week team. The other coach was WHS coach Coenie Prinsloo who has since passed away. He was massively inspirational for me.
