Eben Etzebeth’s ‘brutal’ Greatest Rivalry verdict and which Springboks ‘must take credit’ for turning 0-1 deficit into 2-1 series lead
Eben Etzebeth in action in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry and, inset, a Springbok fan praises Rassie Erasmus
Record South African cap holder Eben Etzebeth has described Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series versus the All Blacks as an “amazing time” to live in.
Rassie Erasmus has this week taken his World Cup-holding Springboks to the United States of America, looking to seal victory in a tour that has taken place for the first time in 30 years.
It was 1996 when the All Blacks last visited South Africa for an old-school style trip which included matches against club sides as well as the Test series.
Their 2026 visit ended with victory against all four United Rugby Championship franchises, but the Test games didn’t go so well and Dave Rennie’s side departed Soweto last Saturday having gone 1-2 behind in a series where they had initially taken a 1-0 lead in Johannesburg on August 22.
“It’s an amazing time we live in…”
That 33-16 win for the All Blacks was followed by back-to-back victories for the Springboks – 33-26 in Cape Town and 29-24 in Soweto – to put Erasmus’ team in front with just the American fixture remaining to be played in the series.
Not since 2018, when the Boks defeated Wales in Washington DC at the start of the Erasmus era, have South Africa played in the country where the 2031 Rugby World Cup will be staged.
Etzebeth, who has been selected to make his 146th Test appearance this weekend, can’t wait to experience the razzmatazz of being involved in the Stateside finale to the Greatest Rivalry.
The match will be the veteran forward’s fourth successive start for the Springboks in the series and his fifth successive Test match appearance, having commenced his 2026 involvement with the August 8 win over Argentina in Buenos Aires after injury ruled him out of the July section of the Nations Championship.
“Every Test match against the All Blacks is special,” reckoned Etzebeth, setting the scene for Saturday’s renewal in Baltimore. “Well, every Test match you put the green and gold jersey on is special.
“And every time we play the All Blacks, we know the rivalry and what it means to them as well as to us. So yeah, this one is very special. It’s obviously the decider, whether we actually win the series or it ends up in a draw.
“So, it’s a massive Test match for us, and yeah, we’re really excited for this weekend. It’s an amazing time we live in to be able to play a Test match series against New Zealand, four in a row.
“It’s the ultimate test for any 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 that’s what we all want to do and we love every second of it.
“It is brutal, but also with that, it’s a massive privilege to play against the All Blacks four weeks in a row. It’s great for all of us, and then the preparation part, it was tough for the first Test match and now it almost went less preparation every week because we know them.
“We obviously know one or two tweaks will be made, but actually on a preparation side, it wasn’t too challenging. Like I said, we know what’s coming, one or two small changes, but yeah, it’s like a challenge.”
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That challenge involved another backs-to-the-wall rebound from the Springboks, who have been in the habit across the Erasmus era of making life difficult for themselves with pressure-inflating losses.
We’d see this movie in the World Cup title wins in 2019 and 2023 and also in the in-between British and Lions series, but just last month there was a re-run with the Springboks losing their opener to the All Black at Ellis Park. Who to credit then with turning around this latest bout of adversity?
“The coaching staff must take the credit there,” Etzebeth said, handing out flowers for the turnaround seen in Cape Town and Soweto in recent weeks. “They always keep us honest and when you don’t have a good game, they will tell us.
“Also, the players, every time we don’t start well, we pull together. It’s happened in the British and Irish Lions series where we went one down, in both World Cups we lost a pool game and there was no more error for losing.
“So we’ve been in this situation before and it happened again. We said it after the first Test match that we can’t lose another game, so the pressure was on and the coaching staff and the players all knew what was on the line.
“It’s a special series against them [New Zealand], first time in 30 years, so we obviously want to win it, and we knew we had to dig deep in the second and the third Test matches.”
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Etzebeth didn’t take the bait in Baltimore when asked to explain what was different about the current All Blacks under Rennie compared to previous regimes. “That’s a tough question,” he stalled.
“I’m going to have to say every All Black team I’ve played against is tough; they always make it tough somehow or another. Obviously, each coach has got his own specialities and what he loves coaching, but yeah, for me just every Test match against them is a big challenge, and that’s where I’m going to leave my answer.”
Eztebeth was more forthcoming when queried on his relief over getting back involved. He had signed off on 2025 with a hefty suspension following his red card away to Wales, and the injury woe he experienced back at the Sharks then spilled over into the opening segment of the Springboks’ 2026 schedule.
“It was a bit frustrating not getting a lot of rugby under my belt, but just nice to be back. It was nice to play that first Test against Argentina again and get a full 80 and obviously the last couple of games against New Zealand as well,” he said.
“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 had to withdraw in the week, but yeah, great to be back.
“While I was on the sidelines, I spent a lot of time with my family which was great, but yeah, for me it was just getting back to fitness and getting back in the team.
“Obviously, every year you try to be a better version of yourself and you try to add to your skill set. The time off gave me that opportunity as well, so yeah, I just trained hard and tried to get back into the mix.”
That mix now has Etzebeth new to experiencing rugby in America. “There’s been a couple of Test matches; I know the All Blacks have played here a couple of times.
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“It’s my first time in America and obviously with the World Cup coming up in 2031, they’re definitely trying to grow it in America, and this Test match is definitely a good start, us against the All Blacks here in Baltimore.
“So very, very exciting. I’m sure there’s a lot of South Africans here, but I’m sure a lot of Americans will come out and watch the game and hopefully they will enjoy what they see.”
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