Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies was the best South African performer on show in the third round of the Vodacom Super Rugby tournament, writes JON CARDINELLI.

The Lions should be hurting after last week’s loss to the Stormers. A late lapse cost them what would have been a campaign-boosting win in the context of the South African conference.

Jantjies was impressive in a losing cause, though. The Lions flyhalf made some important contributions on attack and in front of goal – and ultimately finished the contest with a haul of 15 points.

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The veteran is well known for his ability to put teammates into strong attacking positions. On Saturday, however, we saw Jantjies varying his approach between passing and running.

While he continued to feed the men outside him – and set up Courtnall Skosan for an excellent try with a perfectly executed cross-kick – he also showed an intent to take on the gainline. The latter approach earned him a try in the second stanza.

Overall, Jantjies beat seven defenders, made two clean breaks and finished with more running metres (67) than any other Lions player.

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