Durban — Lood de Jager says his second-row partner, Eben Etzebeth, is the perfect man to lead the Springboks in Saturday’s Titanic struggle with the All Blacks in Auckland.
Nobody is better placed than De Jager to judge the effort that enforcer Etzebeth puts in for the Springboks.
“Eben is the most experienced guy in the group, we have a lot of respect for him because he leads by example,” De Jager said. “The All Blacks are always the toughest opponents and when you play them in New Zealand it is even harder. They have a lot of pride in their jersey. Eben leads by his actions and we will need that on Saturday.”
Etzebeth will be playing his 111 Test match and it will be the 13th occasion he captains his country. He led the side 11 times in 2017 when Allister Coetzee was the coach and once in 2018.
“Playing the All Blacks is the biggest Test match for us,” De Jager said when asked by a local reporter if the All Blacks had lost their aura. “The rivalry goes back a hundred years and more than 100 tests. They are as formidable as ever. Nothing has changed.”
De Jager and Etzebeth are likely to be up against their old foe Sam Whitelock, who did not travel to Mendoza because of injury but has recovered.
“He is a very experienced player, a great lineout forward,” De Jager said of Whitelock. “He is a good player and vital to their pack. He is a no-nonsense forward and will make a difference for them.”
Apart from Whitelock, the All Blacks will also be boosted by twin speedsters Will Jordan and Mark Telea, both over niggles that stopped them travelling to Argentina.
IOL Sport