How Etzebeth inspired Springbok newcomer
Rising Springbok star Ben-Jason Dixon has highlighted how Eben Etzebeth has inspired him at the start of his Test career.
Earlier this week it was confirmed that Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth has been cleared to face New Zealand in Johannesburg on Saturday, with the powerhouse forward slotting in among the ‘bomb squad’.
When Etzebeth comes on, it will mark his 125th in the green and gold jersey, which will see him leapfrog Bryan Habana as the second most capped Springbok of all time and take one step closer to Victor Matfield’s Springbok Test record of 127 caps.
At the other end of the spectrum, Ben-Jason Dixon will feature in just his fourth Test at flank, and he highlighted how inspirational it was to have Etzebeth back in the squad.
“What stood out for me the first time I chatted to Eben was the way he got himself up for games and his competitiveness and desire to win,” said Dixon.
“The more experience he gets, the hungrier he gets to win, and he wears his heart on his sleeve in the way he plays, so I definitely feed off that energy as a player. Having him in the squad simplifies my job a little bit too.”
Etzebeth’s presence will be a major boost for the Springboks
The Springboks wrapped up their main on-field preparations for the match on Wednesday and will have Thursday off to rest before their traditional captains run on Friday.
This Saturday’s match kicks off at 17:00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
Meanwhile, Rassie Erasmus released four players – Steven Kitshoff (prop), Manie Libbok (flyhalf), Canan Moodie and Makazole Mapimpi (both wings) – to their provincial unions on Wednesday afternoon to get game time in the Carling Currie Cup this weekend.
MATCH INFORMATION
Springboks (updated) – 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche.
Subs: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Handre Pollard.
New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Caleb Clarke, 10 Damian McKenzie, 9 TJ Perenara, 8 Ardie Savea, 7 Sam Cane, 6 Ethan Blackadder, 5 Tupou Vaa’i, 4 Scott Barrett (captain), 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Tamaiti Williams.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Sam Darry, 20 Samipeni Finau, 21 Cortez Ratima, 22 Anton Lienert-Brown, 23 Mark Tele’a.
Date: Saturday, August 31
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 17.00 (15.00 GMT; 03.00 NZST Sunday, September 1)
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (England) and Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)
Stats and facts:
Springbok record against New Zealand:
Played: 106, Won: 40. Lost: 62, Drawn: 4. Points for: 1 741; Points against: 2 196; Tries scored: 168; Tries conceded: 240. Win %: 37.7%