Plenty of fight left in Etzebeth
WE NEED TO GO OUT AND RIGHT SOME WRONGS Duane Vermeulen return a ‘massive boost’ for the Boks.
To state that lock Eben Etzebeth has had a rather winding road as Springbok captain won’t take away from the influential part he has played since Warren Whiteley’s untimely injury.
Today Etzebeth will captain the national side for a ninth time against France in Paris after Whiteley was ruled out with a groin injury prior to the third French Test at Ellis Park in June.
Of the previous eight where he was in charge, the Boks have won just three, lost three, while two were drawn – and this included the big defeats of 57-0 against New Zealand and 38-3 against Ireland.
With 64 caps, Etzebeth is the second most experienced team member behind prop Beast Mtawarira’s 96 caps with flanker Francois Louw the next best on 55 caps.
Etzebeth said it’s not a case of the morale of the team being down after the record loss to the Irish, but rather an urgency of going out and righting the wrongs.
“We sat down last Sunday after the defeat to reflect on the game, but I’m happy to say we have had a good week of preparing and all of us are looking forward to the game this weekend,” he said.
The disappointment of losing the 2023 World Cup bid will also not play a role in their mindset, he assured.
“We are actually not affected by that – we have a job to do and we are focusing on that,” he said.
“I’m sure everybody in South Africa is disappointed that we didn’t get the bid, but the management ensured we stayed composed.”
Etzebeth believes the return of the experienced No 8 Duane Vermeulen is a boost for the side with his 37 Tests, despite not playing for the national team since June last year.
“We all know Duane is a worldclass player and an excellent lineout option at the back, while he brings with him a vast amount of leadership, so it’s awesome to have him back,” said Etzebeth.