South Africa Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth has been cleared to play against New Zealand in the upcoming Castle Lager Rugby Championship match at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday.
Etzebeth, who had been sidelined earlier in the week due to an injury concern, completed all training sessions and has been included on the replacements bench. His addition to the squad offers specialist lock cover for the starting duo of Pieter-Steph du Toit and Ruan Nortje.
Etzebeth’s inclusion is a significant boost for the Springboks, as the Test against the All Blacks could mark his 125th appearance in the green and gold jersey.
This milestone would see him surpass Bryan Habana to become the second most-capped Springbok of all time, inching closer to Victor Matfield’s record of 127 caps.
“Our selection policy has always been that if a player does not train on a Monday he will not play on Saturday, but Eben has made it through training pain-free all week, so we had to make the tough call to name him in the squad at the expense of Marco,” said Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s Director of Rugby.
“There were back-up options for us at lock in the initial squad, but with Eben on the bench, it means we have another specialist in that position in the team.”
Erasmus also praised Marco van Staden, who was replaced by Etzebeth on the bench, for his professionalism and understanding of the decision.
“We are blessed to have an expanded squad of about 45 players who have all bought into our plans and who understand what’s best for the team, and it’s admirable how Marco accepted the news. It shows the quality of the player and person he is,” Erasmus added.
In a move to ensure maximum match fitness across the squad, Erasmus released four players—prop Steven Kitshoff, flyhalf Manie Libbok, and wingers Canan Moodie and Makazole Mapimpi—to their provincial unions on Wednesday afternoon.
These players will gain valuable game time in the Carling Currie Cup this weekend, helping them stay sharp for future Springbok commitments.
With the addition of Etzebeth and the strategic management of squad players, the Springboks are gearing up for what promises to be a fiercely contested match against their long-time rivals, the All Blacks, in Johannesburg.
Revised Springbok team to face New Zealand in Johannesburg:
15 – Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 6 caps, 15 points (3t)
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) – 35 caps, 96 points (15t, 3c, 5p)
13 – Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 73 caps, 80 points (16t)
12 – Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 82 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 – Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 19 caps, 85 points (17t)
10 – Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 6 caps, 33 points (12c, 3p)
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 34 caps, 65 points (13t)
8 – Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 27 caps, 5 points (1t)
7 – Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers) – 3 caps, 5 points (1t)
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Racing 92) – 86 caps, 55 points (11t)
5 – Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 2 caps, 0 points
4 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 81 caps, 45 points (9t)
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 73 caps, 5 points (1t)
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 72 caps, 70 points (14t)
1 – Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 33 caps, 0 points
Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 69 caps, 95 points (19t)
17 – Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 points
18 – Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 54 caps, 0 points
19 – Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 124 caps, 30 points (6t)
20 – Elrigh Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 6 caps, 0 points
21 – Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 45 caps, 40 points (8t)
22 – Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 13 caps, 10 points (2t)
23 – Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers) – 73 caps, 734 points (7t, 99c, 162p, 5dg)
