The surprising Eben Etzebeth moment that caught Bok fans offguard

Chalk it down as ‘something you don’t see every day’, at least not on a Test field when Eben Etzebeth is playing for the Springboks.

The Boks forwards eventually bullied New Zealand into submission in Soweto, securing a 29-24 victory and a 2-1 series lead. The All Blacks matched the Springboks’ intensity early, with Ardie Savea scoring twice before a shoulder injury ended his afternoon.

Will Jordan’s opportunistic try put New Zealand 17-12 ahead, but Jesse Kriel responded almost immediately, exposing a soft tackle and restoring South Africa’s momentum.

From there, the Boks’ set-piece power took over. Malcolm Marx crashed over from a dominant maul after scrum pressure forced a penalty, while Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s boot stretched the lead to 12 points.

Etzebeth, central to South Africa’s pack, endured a bruising battle as New Zealand were ultimately demolished by the hosts’ relentless physicality and ruthless final-quarter surge.

However, it was the sight of the giant Shark forward getting put on his backside by All Blacks centre Quinn Tupaea that had AB fans salivating and Bokke ones grimacing.

Eben Etzebeth met Quinn Tupaea today. #Springboks #Allblacks #Rugby #RSAvNZL 🇿🇦🇳🇿 | THE GREATEST RIVALRY TOUR pic.twitter.com/lJxSvloN6H

— Chalyn.Rugby (@ChalynRugby) September 5, 2026

It was a weird one. Only during the week, former South Africa second-row Victor Matfield had branded Etzebeth as “probably the best Springbok of all time”.

This weekend he suffered the ignominy of being bounced by a centre. Swings and roundabouts.

It wasn’t lost on some Bok fans, one lamenting: “I miss the aggressive and hard Eben, he went soft after the suspension and never came out of the shell. He is not [as] aggressive, or [doesn’t] brawl like he used to.”

Many more defended Etzebeth for manfully getting up immediately after the hit, while others questioned the legality of Tupaea’s use of the forearm in the contact.

Either way, it may be a little early to write off the hulking 34-year-old, at least not based on a single contact that he came off the worse for wear from. It does, however, go to show that in rugby, sometimes you are the hammer, and sometimes you are the nail, no matter how physical you are.