Ian Smit on black flyhalves
JOHANNESBURG: Springbok captain Eben Etzebeth appears to be in a race against time to be fit for next week’s four-Test tour opener against Ireland.
While the stand-in skipper and Bok coach Allister Coetzee yesterday did their best to assure the rugby public that the second-row forward will be fit for the Test, the reality is Etzebeth won’t have trained full-out with his teammates before this weekend’s departure to Europe and will only, probably, get onto the training ground in Dublin next Monday.
Etzebeth, who was named stand-in captain in place of the injured Warren Whiteley in June and has done a good job in the role, hurt his ankle at a conditioning and planning camp in Cape Town last week. His ankle had been put into a moon boot to help stabilise it and speed up healing.
The aggressive lock explained his situation to the media yesterday. “The ankle’s much better and I’m set to join team training on Saturday (before flying out) ... but I’ll only take part in 50 percent of the training session. I’m likely to be back in full training in Ireland on Monday,” he said.
Coetzee added: “I’m happy with the controlled session Eben has done, that is running in a straight line and some agility work. There’s progress and he’s on track.”
The Bok coach though will hope Etzebeth comes through tomorrow’s session and then again on Monday otherwise he may have to start thinking about a new captain, and second-row partnership.
Siya Kolisi is the obvious choice to lead the team should Etzebeth not shake off the injury, while the other locks in the squad include Pieter-Steph du Toit, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert and rookie Ruan Botha, who was the surprise call-up to replace the injured Jean-Luc du Preez earlier this week. But with Etzebeth now battling to get over the injury that has halted his training this week, Botha’s call-up is now more understandable.
There are no other injury concerns in the Bok camp ahead of their departure to Europe for Tests against Ireland, France, Italy and Wales.
Etzebeth said the tour would likely define the success – or not – of the Boks’ season. After a dismal 2016 when they failed to win on the end-of-year tour in four outings, they have only lost twice in 2017 – both times to the All Blacks, the last being a 25-24 defeat at Newlands. They have got the better of France and Argentina and drawn both Tests with Australia.
“The tour will determine whether our year is successful or not,” said Etzebeth yesterday. “Ireland will be a big test first up, in conditions that will be quite different from when we last faced them, in June last year. But, that is no excuse.”
In Coetzee’s first series in charge last year, the Boks struggled to get past Ireland in a three-Test series on home soil. They lost the first Test 26-20 and edged the next two, 32-26 and 19-13 to take the series 2-1. “It was very different then, we’d only been together as a group for three to four weeks; now it’s nearly two years later and we (the players and coaches) all know each other better,” Etzebeth said.
Coetzee also said Ireland first-up would be a big test. “They’re going to be very different to when we last faced them. Last year was at the end of their season, now they’re in the beginning of their season. They’ll be stronger at home, they’re a quality side with a good set-piece, their kicking game is strong and they’ve got a good rush defence. We’re going to have to show a lot of patience against them, but it’s going to be crucial for us to get the tour off with a good start. We simply have to start winning away from home now ... that would be a major stepping stone for us,” Coetzee said.
Having a fully fit squad, including a captain who everyone has become accustomed to in the last few months, to pick from would go a long way to achieving this goal.