When Siya Kolisi assumed the captaincy of the Springboks, Herschel Jantjies was virtually unknown to many rugby fans outside the Western Cape.
The Kylemore halfback, diminutive in size but not in stature, was fixing his mind on a Currie Cup season where he hoped to make a solid impression and get a regular place at Western Province.
But just a little more than a year later, Jantjies seized a moment that few players could get in their careers and catapulted himself into the World Cup squad.
The rags to riches tale is well documented in the second episode of Chasing the Sun, which airs on Sunday night at 6pm on MNet.
SECOND TROPHY TOUR
Jantjies would return after the World Cup with a World Cup winners' medal, and be totally “blown away” by the masses of people that turned up to watch the Webb Ellis trophy being showcased across the country.
But through the fog of celebration he will remember a “second trophy tour” that will always remain in his heart – when he returned to the Cape Hamlet of Kylemore where he grew up.
After days of travelling across South Africa, Jantjies simply wanted to get home to his parents house and put his feet up to rest. But he wasn’t given the chance.
The community of Kylemore were waiting for him to parade his World Cup medal on the back of a bakkie as he drove through the streets with the entire neighbourhood around him.
It wasn’t a moment that was captured for the world to see, but it was one that will always remain special for Jantjies.
“The first day I got home, it was the Tuesday after the trophy tour in Cape Town. I got home and had to do the second trophy tour. The people of Kylemore organised one through the streets of the town."
“It was special to see the kids running behind the bakkie, the streets were full of people and everyone was wishing me well. It was amazing to see my community so happy,” Jantjies said.
“I realised the responsibility I had towards these people, towards my community and if I can continue to work hard at my rugby, I can inspire a few more kids in my hometown. Hopefully there will be 15 Springboks one day from Kylemore.”
LETTING IT SINK IN
Jantjies took the chances he was given as Rassie Erasmus gambled on a second side to face Australia having sent 10 players to New Zealand before the Rugby Championship. In that game, where the Wallabies had arrived in a confident mood, the Boks went on to smash them and Jantjies, on debut, scored a brace of tries.
A week later he was on every South African’s lips as he came on as a substitute and scored a magnificent try to draw the game deep into injury time.
It was Jantjies' time.
To say it was a meteoric rise to stardom is an understatement. To say Jantjies seized the moment feels like a cliché. But here he was, going from Kylemore to Springbok to World Cup winner.
“Yoh, there are times where I sit back and think, did I really do this? I have to remind myself that it is true. I know it will stay with me for a long time. It is something that I will cherish. I don’t know when it will feel more real, or when this feeling will go away. It feels really unbelievable at the moment,” he said.
LUCKY TO BE A BOK
Jantjies won’t change a thing and knows he has been in a good place at the right time.
“I had a good season going into the World Cup. I was lucky to become a Springbok. But the process that brought me to this spot is something that continues to motivate me. It wasn’t always easy. I struggled to get game time by WP in the SuperSport Challenge, but today I’m a World Cup winner.
“I won’t change it for a thing, I realise how blessed I have been and I’m excited for what is in store for me in future.”
Still fame has its price, and Jantjies takes it all in his stride with a smile.
“It’s difficult to go to Checkers or Woolworths, you don’t get the chance to shop. People want photos and signatures. My life has changed a lot.
“When I’m at home with my parents, I can’t take an afternoon nap, or sit in front of the television, because there are people who pop by. I’m not complaining about it. I understand it. “
Jantjies enjoys his time with his dogs – three Pitbulls and a miniature Rotweiller – and wants to keep working hard to inspire.
But the dream is a reality. The World Cup winners’ medal is on the wall that nobody can take away from him.
He played a part in one of the greatest chapters in South African sporting history.
And for a lightie from Kylemore, that is some feat.
And he knows it.
• Watch episode two of Chasing the Sun on Sunday on MNet at 6pm. Only on DStv Premium