Etzebeth’s waiting for Du Preez twins…
Much has been said about the impressive Super Rugby starts from twins Daniel and Jean-Luc du Preez, but they haven’t dealt with Eben Etzebeth yet…
|||Cape Town - Much has been said about the impressive Super Rugby starts from twins Daniel and Jean-Luc du Preez, but they haven’t dealt with Eben Etzebeth yet…
Now the young Sharks loose forwards will come face to face with the Springbok monster in Saturday’s clash at Newlands (5.15pm).
The Du Preez brothers have impressed with their physicality in particular in the victories over the Southern Kings and Jaguares, but now they will come up against the real enforcer in Etzebeth, who has been exceptional for the Stormers so far and was the Man of the Match in the hard-fought 20-10 victory over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein at the weekend.
When he wasn’t stealing Cheetahs lineouts, he was trucking the ball up the middle or making unbelievable tackles on cover defence, like the huge hit on Cheetahs captain Francois Venter.
He got into a few scuffles with the Cheetahs forwards as well, so it was vintage Etzebeth.
The 20-year-old Du Preez duo do not stand back for anyone, such is their fiery nature on a rugby field from the days they first turned out for the SA Under-20 side.
But when things become heated at Newlands on Saturday, Etzebeth will be ready and waiting. Asked if he would put the Du Preez twins “in their place”, the Bok No 4 lock smiled, thought about it, and said: “Like I said, we are a team and try to stick with our things. But if you get hold of them, you will have to sort them out!
“But we aren’t bothered about individuals. We look at them as a pack and see what they can do in the lineouts and scrums. For me, it’s not about one guy in the team, it’s a collective effort.”
And when Etzebeth is done with his work, the Sharks will have to combat one of their old boys, Pieter-Steph du Toit, who had another busy game against the Cheetahs.
Etzebeth said his second-row partner will be keen to put one over his former team. “Any player wants to prove a point against his old team, as he wants to prove to his new team that he really wants to be here and that his old team made a mistake by letting him go. I think Pieter-Steph will certainly do that, and have a very good game,” he said.
“Pieter-Steph takes control of the lineouts, but with him here and the new system we have, it is working quite well. I just try to be the player that I was and try to improve in every game.”
But while Stormers coach Robbie Fleck said that the first win in three years in Bloemfontein was “massive” for the confidence, there was some bad news as flyhalf Robert du Preez was ruled out for 12 weeks with a knee ligament injury.
Fleck said that the young pivot won’t need surgery, but will only be back after the June Test window.
It opens the door for Kurt Coleman to get a regular starting berth at No 10, with youngsters Brandon Thomson and Jean-Luc du Plessis – son of former Bok wing Carel – vying for a bench spot.
Coleman came through a pressure-cooker of a second half in Bloemfontein as he kicked two vital penalties to overcome the disappointment of last season, when he fluffed four penalties in a Stormers defeat against the Cheetahs.
“Very happy with Kurt. He just got on and had a really tough penalty that he had to slot over. Credit to him, he showed a lot of guts, and last year was a big scar for him emotionally, and he overcame that,” Fleck said.
“So I am very happy for Kurt, he kicked really well. He hasn’t played much rugga this season, but he showed some nice touches. It’s all about getting back on the horse, and it’s important for him to get his rhythm and confidence back. So it’s a step in the right direction for him.”
ashfak.mohamed@inl.co.za
@IndyCapeSport
Independent Media