Suspended bok Jantjies on his rugby career: 'I will be back sooner than you guys think'
The playmaker says he expects to make his comeback sooner than anticipated, alleging that there was external interference resulting in his failed doping test and denies ever doping.
FILE: The Springboks' Elton Jantjies. Picture: AFP
JOHANNESBURG - Former Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies has made a startling claim about his return to competitive rugby.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup winner is currently serving a four-year suspension after he tested positive for the prohibited substance – Clenbuterol – in 2023.
The playmaker says he expects to make his comeback sooner than anticipated, alleging that there was external interference resulting in his failed doping test and denies ever using the drug.
Addressing his followers in a video he posted on his Instagram page, Jantjies says he’ll provide proof of the outside factors at play that will absolve him of any wrongdoing.
“I will be back sooner than you guys think. Through all the research, through all the facts and through all the evidence, a lot of organisations have been involved in terms of me being tested for something that I have never used. I will elaborate more in terms of me missing my second World Cup, but I am not negative about it because I am preparing myself for much more,” Jantjies said.
Jantjies was in the Springbok squad for last year’s Rugby Championship prior to their successful title defence at the World Cup in France. He tested positive for Clenbuterol – a drug that can be used to burn fat and increase stamina in athletes.
It remains to be seen whether Jantjies will be able to provide information to back his assertions. As things stand, his ban will come to an end in 2027 when the player is 37 and likely signals the end of his career at the highest level.
Jantjies played in 46 Tests for the Springboks, the last of which was in August 2022 against Australia.