Meyer, Mallett hail Etzebeth
09/18/2024 10:15 AM
Former Springbok coaches Heyneke Meyer and Nick Mallett have expressed their delight as Eben Etzebeth is poised to surpass Victor Matfield as South Africa's most-capped player.
Etzebeth will equal Matfield's Bok record of 127 Test appearances if the legendary enforcer takes the field in the Rugby Championship clash with Argentina in Santiago del Estero.
The centurion has been named on the bench for the match, as fit-again Salmaan Moerat will captain the Springboks, with Siya Kolisi rested.
MORE: Siya to coach Boks in Argentina
Etzebeth is thus likely to set a new record when the Springboks tackle Los Pumas in the return match in the final round of the tournament in Nelspruit.
Speaking exclusively on the latest episode of the Keo & Zels podcast, Meyer, who gave Etzebeth his Test debut in 2012, expressed his pride in watching the towering lock develop.
“When I was recruiting, I was speaking to young players, I told them I was looking for players that remind me of a piece of charcoal or coal. It’s quite cheap, you can find it everywhere, but if you put it under pressure for thousands of years, it becomes a diamond. That’s the type of player you are looking for.
“You want the guys who perform in the big games, the guys who, when the pressure is on, they shine like diamonds. For me, there’s no better example of that than Eben Etzebeth.
“The first time I saw Eben, he was playing Craven Week and he really impressed me. I also saw him playing in the Varsity Cup final against Tukkies, who I helped coach. In that final, again, he shined like a diamond. He was a youngster, but kept us busy. He was an enforcer and was superb. I knew that this guy would go all the way and play a lot of Test matches for South Africa.”
Meyer said that Etzebeth reminded him of a combination of three former Springboks: Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Danie Rossouw.
“The thing that impresses me most about Eben, is off the field.
“Although he is a superstar now, although he is recognised by everybody all over the world as one of the best players in the world, he is still the humble kid that he was at 21. It is unbelievable to see how humble he is, how he speaks to supporters, how he goes out there and takes pictures and signs autographs. That’s special.
“So he’s a champion, not just on the field, but off it as well.”
Meyer backed Etzebeth to not only surpass Matfield, but kick on to 150 Test matches.
“I always knew Eben could play 100 Test matches. We had a lot of talks and I said to him that his goal should be to play 100 Test matches. The way he played and put his body on the line for his country every year, I wasn’t sure if he would reach 100.
“I am so proud that he has played 100 Tests. Now that he can break Victor Matfield’s record, it’s unbelievable. I am so, so proud of him, of the player he has become and even more proud of the man he has become.
“He is good enough to play 150 Test matches. I hope and pray that he will be blessed and go on to make his country proud. It has been an honour to coach him.
“He will go down as one of the best players to have played the game. He is already one of the best, but he is good enough to be the best to have ever played.”
Meanwhile, Mallett – who coached the Boks between 1997 and 2000 – also described Etzebeth’s strengths as a mix of Matfield and Botha, hailing the 32-year-old for an illustrious career.
“A combination of Bakkies and Victor would define him quite nicely. He has the physicality of a Bakkies Botha and the athleticism of a Victor Matfield.
“His ability to get around the field, he’s as fast as any loose forward if not a back. His ability in the lineouts to put pressure on the opposition throws. His physicality at the breakdown. His ball carries.
“He has done an absolutely immense job for South Africa over the last six or seven years. Matching Victor’s record is incredible. Victor was in a class of his own, playing for the Bulls, winning with the Bulls, winning a World Cup, beating the British & Irish Lions.
“Here, blow me down, is a guy going past his record. One wouldn’t have said it was possible. But that’s what records are there for, to be broken. Well done, Eben. An absolutely outstanding effort.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/AG Media
The post Meyer, Mallett hail Etzebeth appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
