The wife of South Africa rugby player Elton Jantjies has given an interview in the wake of the scandal involving her husband.
Iva Jantjies says she is unlikely to remain in a relationship with the outside-half after he was sent home from Argentina amid allegations of an affair with the Springboks dietician, Zeenat Simjee. She also hit out at the Springboks management for allowing the alleged situation to develop within the team environment.
Mrs Jantjies said she first became aware of the allegations after seeing a social media post. Jantjies is expected to return to the family home in Japan next week, according to News24.
Read more: The rugby headlines you can expect to be reading in the coming months as huge season looms
In an interview with the news organisation, Iva Jantjies said: "We have been together since 2014 and had our ups and downs like every other couple. I have always been there to support him through good and bad times, and I still am. When we met, he was not even part of the Bok squad, we worked really hard for him to achieve his goals and dreams. [I] sacrificed so many things, including my career and my dreams."
She added she would "probably not" remain in a relationship with her husband, saying: "We are speaking all the time. He is very disappointed. I think it's also good for him to distance himself for the Bok squad and process everything." Jantjies is said to deny the allegations in the report.
In a statement, a South Africa spokesperson said no team protocols were breached, but the individuals were returning to South Africa to "attend to these personal reports and to eliminate any distractions to the team’s preparations for the Test against Argentina".
Mrs Jantjies added: "This is very concerning for all the Springbok wives as none of us was aware that this behaviour is actually not breaking any rules and it's taken so lightly… It's very disappointing for a World Cup-winning management to allow situations like this to be created inside the team environment."
It has been a difficult year for fly-half Jantjies, who started for South Africa against Wales in the first Test of the summer but was hooked after a disastrous personal performance.
He was also detained at an airport in May over allegations about his behaviour on a flight that allegedly saw damage caused to a plane he was travelling on. The charges were eventually withdrawn.
Read more:
Shane Williams identifies Welsh rugby's new 'superstar' who once did something truly special
Elton Jantjies joke sees Rassie Erasmus speak out on 'suffering to innocent children'
Rugby legend reveals real reason he kept his hands in pockets when meeting the Queen
Rejected Welsh rugby talent heads to US to become American football player and TikTok hit
Lawrence Dallaglio and English media get excited after Welsh giant's 'coming-of-age' performance
