The challenge to face the All Blacks four weeks in a row is certainly tougher than anything the Springboks have faced at a World Cup tournament, veteran lock Eben Etzebeth believes.
The most-capped Bok, who will be at the forefront of the Boks quest to secure Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry trophy and give the Boks a 3-1 series win in Baltimore on Saturday night, believes this is the ultimate challenge in modern rugby and little can come close.
The Boks lead the series 2-1 going into the fourth and final game on Saturday night.
“I think, challenge-wise, this is surely the toughest in rugby: to play New Zealand four times in a row and try to win the series,” Etzebeth said.
“So, my answer to the question is, it’s not as special as a World Cup win, but it is still harder than a World Cup to win because you play against New Zealand, which, over the years, have been the number-one or number-two team in the world for a long time.
“And this is definitely one of the tougher challenges in rugby.”
Etzebeth recounted losing the first test, and how the Boks had dug deep to come back and win the next two. It was something they had done against the British and Irish Lions in 2021, and after losing a game in the pool rounds of the Rugby World Cup in 2019 and 2023. And this group of players know just how to perform when their backs are against the wall.
“I think the coaching staff must take a lot of credit there. They always keep us honest, and when we don’t have a good game, they’ll tell us. Also, the players — I think every time we don’t start well, we pull together,” he said from Baltimore.
“It happened in the British & Irish Lions series, where we went 1-0 down, and in both World Cups (2019 and 2023), we lost a pool game and there was no more room for error. So I think we’ve been in this situation before, and it happened again. We said after the first test match that we couldn’t lose another game, so the pressure was on. I think, like I said, the coaching staff and the players all knew what was on the line.
“This is a special series against them, so obviously we want to win it.”
EVERY MATCH IN GREEN AND GOLD IS 'SPECIAL'
The lock has seen a lot in his career and knows the importance of not letting their lead in the series slip. But games against the All Blacks come with extra weight and that is apparent for this Bok side as well. They know the All Blacks will come at them, and they know they need to be ready for it.
“Every test match, when you put the green and gold jersey on, it’s special,” he explained. “Every time we play the All Blacks, we know the rivalry and what it means to them as well as to us.
‘This one is very special. It’s obviously the decider, whether we actually win the series or it ends up in a draw. It’s a massive test match for us and we’re really excited for this weekend.
“I think it’s an amazing time we’re living in, to be able to play a test match series against New Zealand, four in a row. I think it’s the ultimate test for a rugby player to play against them and to do it four weekends in a row.
“It’s been tough, it’s been some bruising battles, but I think that’s what we all want to do and we love every second of it.”
On Saturday the Bok veteran will run on for his 146th cap, and while he missed a large part of the URC season, he was keen to get onto the field again and shake off the frustration of being on the sidelines earlier in the year.
“It was a bit frustrating, obviously not getting a lot of rugby under my belt,” he said. “It was just nice to be back. It was nice to play the first test against Argentina again, and then a full 80.
“Obviously, the last couple of games against New Zealand as well, but ja, just glad to be back on the park again and playing some rugby.
“It was tough to watch the guys from the side, obviously in the mix for that England game and then I had to withdraw in the week. But ja, great to be back.”
The match will kick off at 11pm SA time and will be live on SuperSport.