Eben Etzebeth prepares for brutal meeting with Springbok teammates
Two titans of South African rugby will clash on Saturday when Deon Fourie and Eben Etzebeth, recent comrades in World Cup glory, face off in Cape Town.
The resurgent DHL Stormers are looking to build on a heroic victory against SA rivals, the Vodacom Bulls, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks cruise into Table Bay desperate to change their fortunes in the competition, having just one win to show for their efforts in the 2023-24 BKT URC.
Fourie is the steel beam in the DHL Stormers’ plan to control the defensive breakdown, and his fairy-tale journey is an inspiration to the men he leads into battle between the whitelines.
The 37-year-old openside flanker was influential in the DHL Stormers team that won the inaugural BKT URC, which earned him a Springbok call-up and the title of the oldest player to make his debut in the green and gold. His crowning moment came at the 2023 Rugby World Cup where he deputised at hooker for 77 minutes, the final three minutes in which he captained the Springboks.
Fourie’s poaching prowess and disruptive play make him indispensable to the DHL Stormers and the captaincy rests comfortably on his experienced shoulders. Fourie steered the team to victory over European champions La Rochelle in the Investec Champions Cup and then led the charge against the Vodacom Bulls.
But Fourie’s return for the DHL Stormers has been far from easy. Following the celebrations after the World Cup, his father’s passing cast a shadow, yet, the seasoned campaigner was soon back on the rugby field, eager to put his shoulder to the wheel.
“He’s been through probably the craziest time you can have,” DHL Stormers head coach John Dobson said ahead of Fourie’s comeback against Zebre Parma in Round 6 of the BKT URC.
“He’s won a World Cup, his father passed away, he’s just come back from the funeral. We wanted to give him more time, but he wants to play rugby.”
Fourie and Etzebeth were DHL Stormers teammates between 2012 and 2014, and the towering Bok enforcer will be able to empathize with the tenacious fetcher. Etzebeth, who lost his father earlier this year, was at the heart of South Africa’s consecutive World Cup triumphs, duly nominated in the World Rugby Awards and recognised in the Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year, testament to the immense power and grit he adds to the world champions’ tight five.
The favourite to win a successive SA Rugby Player of the Year accolade, the 32-year-old is an adamantine obstacle to his opponents and a revered mentor to his teammates.
Cape Town born and schooled, Etzebeth’s impact on the Hollywoodbets Sharks in his return from national duty has been obvious, and the Springbok centurion’s scoring spree in the BKT URC and European Challenge Cup – four tries in as many matches – has helped boost the Durban outfit in John Plumtree’s second stint at the helm.
“Eben is pretty inspirational and it’s not easy for a guy like that to come back off a World Cup win and get back into his club and start performing straight away,” said Plumtree.
With Fourie and Etzebeth billed at the top of another epic duel in Cape Town on Saturday between traditional South African powerhouses, fans can expect bone-crunching collisions in a raw display of selfless valour worthy of two world champions.
Comments on RugbyPass
How did it end a draw. South Africa didn’t score any points as far as I can see
2 Go to commentsNo doubt this will be a fantastic occasion and I plan to be there, but I think the bean counters have won out over the rugby brains. In my opinion, it is foolhardy to give the Black Ferns the experience of playing in front of 60,000+ at Twickenham a year before they might be playing there in a World Cup Final. Better to play France at Twickenham and Black Ferns at Kingsholm. The difference in takings would be miniscule.
1 Go to commentsDom kant
191 Go to commentsBen is a little incel desperately trying to stir the pot and stay relevant. We used to get mad at his articles. Now we just feel sorry for him
191 Go to commentsPerhaps we may need to put an asterisk on NZ’s ‘87 WC win since the Boks weren’t there. You know, just as a reminder. Poor Ben Smith. Go cry somewhere else.
191 Go to commentsNz should have won. I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won
2 Go to commentsThanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄
2 Go to commentsWere the Baby Boks part of this game or did the Baby Blacks play themselves?🤔 That man Bin Smuth once again does a little write-up on the game and it is like 95% about the Baby Blacks🤣 Glad he ends off with the Baby Blacks were actually in cruise control for most of the game and weren’t actually playing for the win WTF🤣🤣 Maybe he was expecting the Baby Blacks to run rampant….
2 Go to commentsOne does not expect anything more from Ben Smith who epitomises the worst of New Zealand media arrogance and an inability to balance what he has to say about any team that beats the All Blacks. His reference to context is pathetically thin. He does not comment that Frizell deserved a red card given his blatant manipulation of his body to ensure that he could drop his body weight onto Mbonambi’s lower leg. No mention of the ball lost forward before the All Black’s try (lost in-field of the 5 metre line and gathered beyond). The All Black commitment and effort was superb and there was little in it. Given the Springbok passage to the final and the loss of their hooker in the first three minutes, their resolve and capacity to win their fourth final out of eight attempts (not three out of ten) deserves the praise that has been forthcoming from media around the world, worth reading and listening to. Ben should join his “pundit” friends on TV - he would fit in well. This sort of article reduces any credibility Rugby Pass has ever had. Why persist with this sort of nonsense? The man does his country and a rugby blog a disservice.
191 Go to commentsEtzebeth went on to say: “I would never dream of saying that systems stay in place following a change in captain. To say that would be deeply, deeply, disrespectful of Siya. A while back an Irish person told me they would be fine without Sexton, so I’m just responding to that.”
3 Go to commentsClose games are what we want to see…. What a match it was…. I am sure that everyone was drained by the end of it. The reality of it all there has to be a winner and a loser. The fact that we still talking about it is almost 6 months to the day Rugby is the winner.. Asante sana… Here is to 2027 and what it will bring out.
191 Go to commentsIt’s going to be a good game. COYQ
1 Go to comments“Shock”, the guy was casually saying he was just slightly surprised. Nowadays if you say anything it gets taken completely out of context. Calm down everyone.
156 Go to commentsAll I can say after reading this bitter, sour, sad piece is… Thank you very much! This will be read in the change room just before kick off on 31 August…
191 Go to commentsLook, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
191 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
191 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
191 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
191 Go to comments