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Rassie Erasmus leaves door open for stunning Eben Etzebeth return

Eben Etzebeth celebrates beating France at Rugby World Cup 2023 (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Head coach Rassie Erasmus has revealed that Eben Etzebeth is still a chance of playing against the All Blacks this weekend despite not being named in the team’s matchday squad for the clash at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park.

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Etzebeth was initially left out of South Africa’s team after suffering a knee injury. The Springboks have a policy that if a player can’t train on Monday then they won’t be made available for the weekend, but there’s an exception to every rule.

The 32-year-old from Cape Town has started the last 22 Test matches between the Springboks and All Blacks and that incredible feat could yet extend further by one match if the star lock is able to “miraculously recover.”

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Etzebeth was initially set to miss training on Monday, which is why the Springboks overlooked the two-time Rugby World Cup winner for this weekend’s team, but he ended up training anyway. It’ll all depend on how Etzebeth got through training on Tuesday.

“We announced the team last night with Eben out because if you don’t train on the Monday after the team is announced internally, you don’t play on Saturday,” Erasmus told reporters.

“Eben did the whole training session on Monday and we need to see how Tuesday’s one goes, from where I’ll have a chat with all the players to see if we’ll make a change.

“He may miraculously recover, and the doctor said there was some science behind that and not just the will to play for the big occasion like the All Blacks.

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“If that’s the case, we’ll be happy, but it will be very unlucky in terms of Elrigh (Louw), Marco (van Staden) or Kwagga (Smith) in terms of being left out.

“We’ll think clearly, see how Pieter-Steph moves, from where we’ll make the call.”

Head-to-Head

Last 5 Meetings

Wins
4
Draws
0
Wins
1
Average Points scored
23
18
First try wins
60%
Home team wins
60%

Assistant coach Deon Davids told the media at a press conference on Monday that Etzebeth was under an injury cloud for the Test. Etzebeth joined a worryingly long list of second rowers who had either been ruled out or were in doubt for the highly anticipated clash.

RG Snyman was another lock who had been deemed unavailable. The hulking loc was a last-minute withdrawal from the team to play the Wallabies in Brisbane earlier this month, but after bouncing back to face the same for a week later, Snyman is out once again.

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The Boks have been hit by a genuine second-row crisis which is a genuine concern this week. Salmaan Moerat, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert and Jean Kleyn are among the other second rowers who won’t take the field at the world-famous Ellis Park.

“It’s a meniscus but not a trauma one, but one that came from a scrum,” Erasmus explained about Etzebeth. “It came about from him changing feet during a scrum session and it wasn’t a case of a teammate running into him to a point where there’s a tear and everything is in pieces.

“It was a live scrum and Eben took a lot of weight on one side and twisted his knee. Hopefully, the mechanics aren’t that bad with big trauma.”

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Comments

4 Comments
H
Hellhound 331 days ago

Lol mind games again Rassie? Razor is still a rookie on the international scene. Making him sweat and lose sleep at night trying to figure you out😂

J
Jen 331 days ago

I don't think Razor is lying awake worrying about Rassie. Whether Eben comes back from the dead or not, the ABs are still going to need to play like freaks to get on top.

B
Bull Shark 331 days ago

A little bit of poker face from Rassie. I’m sure.


This is going to be a much tighter contest than we think.


Boks by 15.

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SK 23 minutes ago
Harness Skelton's might and move Sua'ali'i: How the Wallabies can fix things for Test two

That fighting Aussie spirit really served them well last week when they were down 24-5 early in the second, to rally back to 27-19 and dominate the last quarter was really impressive. I dont subscribe to the thought that the Lions took their foot off the gas. The Lions are not flawless. This group goes through periods in matches where they run riot and then through other periods where their game almost devolves as they try to play too much and lose all momentum falling flat. The strongest most consistent part of their game is their defence. I feel like the weakest part could be their set piece especially that creaky scrum which really should be doing better against Australia. If this Lions side was playing against the Springboks or All Blacks they would not be winning collisions and their set piece would be under serious scrutiny. Australia must try to do better in the collisions and put more pressure on the Lions set piece. They must bring line speed and power to their defence. They cannot afford to give up any soft tries and they must bring urgency at the start of the game. They need to force the Lions to play on their terms and to play from behind. If the Lions race out to an early lead all bets are off, if they keep momentum for a protracted period the game will be up. Australia must spoil, harass, frustrate and compete in every ruck, maul, scrum and lineout. Its time to face the Lions head on.

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H
Hellhound 45 minutes ago
Steve Hansen: The Boks are 'rolling the dice and so far they’ve got away with it'

As I said, always blame the ref. The Boks can't win unless the ref helped. It was a hooker and not a prop. You don't even have your facts straight. You just confirmed what I said idiot. Blame the ref for the try😂As for hate? I don't hate the AB's, just some of their fans like you. You don't look at the whole picture. All you see is AB's players. You don't look at the opposition. No, you see what you want to see and then open your mouth, spew drivel and then get heated up about it screaming hate. Yes, the Boks haven't won in NZ in awhile. Boo hoo, cry me a river. That will change. A very strong AB's side barely beat a weak C French team and you think they are in such a good place. I would not bleat such prowess if I were you. The Boks played against much weaker opposition and they were very disappointing. Lots to work on. However, we know what these Boks are capable of. We know what the youngsters are capable of. We know the depth we have and that depth is extreme. Lots of new youngsters bleeding through too. Better than most of the current AB's. Have you watched the URC? No. Japan league? No. English Premiership? No. You watch SR and you are awed by what you see. You think the world will fall at the AB's feet, that they will smash everyone in front of them(couldn't do it to a C French team). You are blind. Foolish. Big mouth and overhyping a team that is already out of time for the WC. At the most 17 Tests left to give players time to shine. Razor doesn't even have a full A team yet. Prospects yes. Possible future stars, yes. The Boks have about 3 teams, and about 3 teams with star studded youngsters that can shift up. What will the AB's do when there is injuries? Red card bans? AB's are good. They always will be. However, they are wafer thin in the talent department. As I said, I love the AB's, just not all its arrogant supporters of which you are one. You get good supporters, not you, and then bad woke idiots, that's you!

31 Go to comments
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