Having made so much history with the Springboks over the years, Eben Etzebeth has never won back-to-back Rugby Championship titles.
Springbok enforcer Eben Etzebeth has enjoyed a glittering career so far, and has been part of a history-making team over the past six years, but is hungry to make even more, when they hunt the Rugby Championship title against Argentina at Twickenham on Saturday.
Etzebeth is a double World Cup winner, has a British and Irish Lions medal, has won the Rugby Championship twice, and is the Boks‘ record cap holder having played an incredible 137 games for them.
However, one thing he hasn’t experienced is winning the Rugby Championship back-to-back, and that is now something he hopes to achieve, and to be a part of a little bit more Springbok history.
“We’ve achieved plenty under coach Rassie, but one thing we haven’t done in the history of South African rugby is to win the Rugby Championship two years in a row,” said Etzebeth at the team announcement on Tuesday.
“This is a big challenge for us, and it will be great if we can get it right this weekend. However, it is easier said than done. We know that Argentina will be angry and come back with plenty of hate, if I can put it like that, after the result of last Saturday.
“We are not going to sit back, though, and we will try and improve on that to deliver a strong performance that can ensure we win this tournament twice in a row for the first time.”
Twickenham
The Boks will receive a boost by playing the final match of the competition at Twickenham, which is basically a home away from home for the team with the number of expats that live in London.
It will be a completely different atmosphere from what they would have faced in front of a partisan home crowd in Argentina, and is something they have experienced a number of times before, having played against the All Blacks and Wales at the stadium in the last two years.
“The last time we played here against a neutral team was the All Blacks and there were quite a few South Africans. But in the week, we don’t talk about how much support there’s likely to be or not for us,” explained Etzebeth.
“We just want to stay focused on the task at hand because we know what’s at stake. If there are a lot of South African supporters, then that’s a bonus, but our priority is the job on the field. Ultimately, we want to arrive on Saturday and play a great Test match.”
Twickenham is fast becoming a very regular neutral venue for the Boks, and they will be back playing at the stadium in November at the start of their end-of-year-tour with them taking on Japan.
