Enforcer Eben Etzebeth is one of several injured Springboks with a question mark over their heads and must perform against Argentina next month, according to Nick Mallett.
Etzebeth and skipper Siya Kolisi are named in a 43-man squad set to gather in Johannesburg on Sunday, ahead of the Los Pumas Test on 8 August and the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand.
Speaking on the Talking Boks podcast, Mallett questioned whether the returning players, also including Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert, André Esterhuizen and Morné van den Berg, would be ready for the All Blacks series.
MALLETT: Siya must play well to keep Paul out
“A guy like Eben Etzebeth has taken such a long time to get back into the mix,” Mallett said.
“So you’ve got to have a question mark as to whether one game against Argentina and some really intense alignment camps are going to be enough for him to go straight into an All Blacks Test.
“Rassie [Erasmus] will answer that question. He said you never perform well if you aren’t physically able to handle a hard training week and then play on Saturday. So this Argentina game is massive for a number of our players.”
COLUMN: Roos needs an All Blacks Hail Mary
Etzebeth picked up a head knock ahead of the win over England on 4 July, and his troubled concussion record meant the Boks didn’t rush him back.
The double World Cup-winning lock also missed extended Vodacom URC time with the Sharks and hasn’t played a full Test since November, when he was sent off and suspended for 12 weeks against Wales.
Kolisi missed the entire Nations Championship with a hamstring injury. In his absence, 23-year-old Paul de Villiers starred in three straight Tests at No 6.
MORE: Mallett explains Herschel over Embrose
“You can only live on reputation for so long. You’ve actually got to perform,” Mallett added. “The players who’ve played over the last three weekends have all performed well.
“So the guys coming back from injury know this Argentina game is a very, very important one for them.”
He also touched on the squad’s depth, with five players – Ntuthuko Mchunu, André-Hugo Venter, Evan Roos, Embrose Papier and Jaco Williams – released to their URC clubs for fixtures against the All Blacks.
“I would say the only people who’ll be disappointed are those who’ve been sent back to their unions. But even so, you’d probably prefer to be one of the 15 guys left behind training with the squad.
“The strength in depth is enormous. There’s no one who’s really been left out. It’s just injuries that are keeping guys out.”
FREE DIGI-MAG: All Blacks tour special – Blood and thunder!
Photo: Steve Haag/Getty Images
The post Eben ‘can only live on reputation for so long’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Enforcer Eben Etzebeth is one of several injured Springboks with a question mark over their heads and must perform against Argentina next month, according to Nick Mallett.
The post Eben ‘can only live on reputation for so long’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
