Eben Etzebeth: Springbok lock confident of being fit for start of Rugby Championship
Experienced South Africa and Sharks second-row Eben Etzebeth believes he will be fit in time for the Springboks’ Rugby Championship opener against Australia in Pretoria on July 8.
The 31-year-old sustained a shoulder injury during the Sharks’ round-of-16 Champions Cup victory against Munster at the start of the month.
Won’t play for Sharks again
Sharks director of rugby Neil Powell said at the time that Etzebeth faces 14 weeks on the sidelines and will not feature for the Durban-based side again this season.
That would’ve ruled the player out of the Rugby Championship‘s start, but Etzebeth is confident he will be ready by that time.
“I’m aiming to be ready for the Rugby Championship, but then everything will have to go well, which I believe will happen,” he told the Rapport newspaper.
Meanwhile, there are still concerns over other Springboks who are struggling with long-term injuries.
Stormers second-row Salmaan Moerat is still recovering from a knee injury which is expected to keep him out until August, while Frans Steyn is also out of action with a similar injury which should keep him on the sidelines for most of the Rugby Championship.
The Boks are also sweating on the fitness of their skipper, Siya Kolisi, who limped off with a knee injury in the Sharks’ 22-22 draw with Munster in their United Rugby Championship encounter in Durban on Saturday.
Following their Rugby Championship opener against Australia in Pretoria, the Boks will face New Zealand at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland a week later.
They then host Argentina in Johannesburg on Saturday, July 29, in their last match on home soil before they start the build-up to the defence of their Rugby World Cup title.
Rugby World Cup warm-up games
In August, the Boks head to Buenos Aires to face Los Pumas before they take on Wales and the All Blacks in Rugby World Cup warm-up games in Cardiff and London, respectively. That will bring their World Cup preparations to an end before they head to France for the global showpiece.
They start their Rugby World Cup campaign on Sunday, September 10, against Scotland in Marseille, before facing Romania in Bordeaux (September 17), Ireland in Paris (September 23) and Tonga in Marseille (October 1) in their other pool matches.
