Eben Etzebeth will pass John Smit in the list of most Tests played for the Springboks on Saturday, 29 July at Ellis Park. Photo: SA Rugby website
Eben Etzebeth will ultimately decide whether he can play against the All Blacks this Saturday after his father passed away on Tuesday.
Eben Etzebeth will pass John Smit in the list of most Tests played for the Springboks on Saturday, 29 July at Ellis Park. Photo: SA Rugby website
On Tuesday, Eben Etzebeth was named as the captain of the Springboks team to face New Zealand in the second Rugby Championship Test in Auckland on Saturday, while just a few hours later his father Harry Etzebeth, passed away after a long battle with cancer.
Team announcement: Etzebeth leads strong Springboks side
It’s stated that the decision on whether Eben will continue to play against the All Blacks this weekend, or return home, will be left with him, with Springbok management affording him the time to he needs to make a decision.
Should Etzebeth withdraw, RG Snyman will be the expected replacement, with Jean Kleyn coming onto the bench, while Lukhanyo Am would be the next likely captaincy candidate.
The news of Harry’s death was shared by a friend of Etzebeth’s father, Gerhard Ras, who wrote on Facebook: “My old wrestling opponent & father of Springbok rugby captain, Harry Etzebeth, passed away last night (Tuesday). RIP.”
Thoughts and condolences from TheSouthAfrican.com go out to Eben and the entire Etzebeth family.
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15 β Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) β 84 caps, 65 pts (13t)
14 β Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) β 23 caps, 74pts (11t, 2c, 5p)
13 β Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) β 32 caps, 30 pts (6t)
12 β Damian de Allende (Panasonic Wild Knights) β 70 Tests, 45pts (9t)
11 β Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks) β 36 caps, 110pts (22t)
10 β Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) β 28 caps, 36 pts (2t, 4c, 4p, 2d)
9 β Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) β 46 Tests, 41pts (5t, 2c, 4p)
8 β Jasper Wiese (Leicester) β 20 caps, 5pts (1t)
7 β Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) β 63 caps, 15pts (3t)
6 β Kwagga Smith (Blue Revs) β 31 caps, 20pts (4t)
5 β Lood de Jager (Panasonic Wild Knights) β 65 caps, 25pts (5t)
4 β Eben Etzebeth (captain, Cell C Sharks) β 110 caps, 15pts (3t)
3 β Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) β 59 caps, 5 pts (1t)
2 β Bongi Mbonambi (Cell C Sharks) β 57 caps, 60 pts (12t)
1 β Steven Kitshoff (Ulster) β 72 caps, 10pts (2t)
Replacements:
16 β Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) β 59 caps, 70pts (14t)
17 β Thomas du Toit (Bath) β 16 caps, 0 pts
18 β Vincent Koch (Cell C Sharks) β 42 caps, 0 pts
19 β RG Snyman (Munster) β 24 caps, 5 pts (1t)
20 β Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) β 67 caps, 30 pts (6t)
21 β Duane Vermeulen (SA Rugby) β 66 caps, 15 pts (3t)
22 β Grant Williams (Cell C Sharks) β 2 caps, 0 pts
23 β Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers) β 4 caps, 19 pts (8c, 1p)
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Springbok record against New Zealand
Played 103; Won 38; Lost 61; Drawn 4; Points for: 1 674, Points against: 2 143; Tries scored 160, Tries conceded 234; Highest score 46-40; Biggest win 17 points. Win % 37%.
Milestones:
Miscellaneous:
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