Eben Etzebeth says the Springboks will hold nothing back when they clash with New Zealand at a sold-out Twickenham on Friday in their final hit-out before the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
More than 80,000 fans will flood the home of England Rugby when the Springboks wrap up their World Cup preparations with a warm-up clash against the All Blacks. Despite it being an exhibition match, the contest is expected to be anything but friendly, with both teams hungry to lay down a marker in a final dress rehearsal for the global tournament.
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The World Cup warm-up matches have taken a toll, consigning a host of stars to injury. France lost flyhalf Romain Ntamack to a knee injury, while the likes of Wallabies flank Michael Hooper, and lock Brodie Retallick and flank Shannon Frizell (All Blacks) are among those either ruled out entirely or missing at least a portion of the tournament.
The Boks have also felt the World Cup curse, as they are likely to begin the tournament without seasoned campaigners Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am and Lood de Jager.
Despite the injury risks, Etzebeth is fired up to get one over the old enemy.
“I am going to have to disagree with you there,” Etzebeth said on Tuesday when asked about the potential for the Springboks to hold something back in their final warm-up Test before the World Cup.
“Playing for your country, the Springbok jersey, and playing in a neutral environment at one of the best stadiums in the world in front of 80,000 people against our biggest rival, the All Blacks – if you asked that to any one of them, they will give you the same answer.
“It’s the Springboks versus All Blacks. We are going to give everything to win. We will worry about the World Cup after Friday. If it goes well, that builds confidence going to the World Cup.”
The crunch Test at Twickenham will be the second meeting between the two rivals this year, after the All Blacks claimed a 35-20 victory over the Boks in the second round of the 2023 Rugby Championship in Auckland.
That win was built on a sensational first 20 minutes when the hosts ripped through their opponents and built a strong enough buffer to withstand a second-half comeback.
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“We need to switch on from the start,” Etzebeth said regarding the lessons the Boks had taken from that loss. “They came with a massive start out of the blocks. In those 20 minutes, they were definitely a better team than us. We are preparing better this week to also make that quicker and better start.”
New Zealand are currently on a 10-game winning run, stretching back to when the All Blacks bounced back in style after being stunned by Argentina in last year’s Rugby Championship.
“They just naturally play good rugby. Last year, there were one or two games where they weren’t at their best, but all the good teams go through a dip,” said Etzebeth. “I always knew they would come back, they are one of the better teams in the world. It’s great to see them doing well.
“This World Cup is going to be one of the most competitive there has ever been because there are so many teams doing well, putting up their hands to go on and win this year.”
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