Just because he’s been forced to stay at home and not gym and train with his teammates doesn’t mean Elton Jantjies is sitting around doing nothing.
The Lions captain is as busy as ever. He’s boxing - under the guidance of his personal trainer - at home, is still lifting weights and he’s naturally spending a little more time with his family, who he saw very little of in 2019.
With the Covid-19 pandemic having hit hard across the globe and competitions like Super Rugby being suspended, these are challenging times for everyone in world sport, including for Jantjies.
The Lions players and coaches, who were in New Zealand last week when Sanzaar suspended the Super Rugby competition, are in an enforced 14-day quarantine, which means they have to self-isolate at home until at least next weekend.
Jantjies, who is captaining the Lions in 2020 and has played 133 games for the three-time Super Rugby runners-up, said it was hard not seeing his teammates each day.
“We spend so much time together and now not being able to see them is quite tough,” said Jantjies. “We’re following all the directives from Sanzaar and the World Health Organisation to isolate, so we’re left having to train and look after ourselves at home. It’s really a few little adjustments we all have to make right now.”
Jantjies and all the Lions players have been given programmes to follow to ensure they stay fit and healthy.
“Our coaches have given us things to do because we can’t get together in big groups,” said the 29-year-old.
“I’ve luckily got some stuff at home to train with, but I did have to buy some new weights the other day. We’re all in contact with our coaches and the team doctor and I also have a personal coach who helps me with my boxing.”
Jantjies, like so many other young rugby players, is almost addicted to the game and he said he now has a little more time to watch old games on video and do some self-analysis.
“Rugby is such a big part of my DNA; I never stop,” he said. “There’s always something keeping me occupied and working on; rugby lives in me, and I have ambitions still for the year ahead, in Super Rugby and at a national level. I’ve got to keep on working.”
But, being forced to spend more time at home has allowed him to spend more time with his family, and he’s grateful for that.
“I spent so much time away from home last year. There was Super Rugby, and the Springboks were in camp for a long time before the World Cup, and then there was all the time we spent in Japan,” said the 37-Test star.
“My wife (Iva) had an incident a while ago, so it’s a blessing I can be with her now. I’m also spending time with my boys (three of them), which is nice.
“When I got home from New Zealand the other day I noticed they’d got an X-Box while I was on tour, so I’ll probably do some gaming with them in the days ahead.”
Jantjies is also having some renovations done at his house and is quite involved in that.
“It’s tough not knowing what’s going to happen in the next few weeks, but we have to make the most of the situation, and appreciate every day.”