Springboks newbie ‘living in the moment’ as ‘dream’ clash with All Blacks awaits

Springboks flanker Ben-Jason Dixon admits his meteoric rise to Test starter hasn’t “fully sunk in” as he awaits a “dream come true” clash with the All Blacks.

The 26-year-old has shot to fame in recent months after his fine form for the Stormers was recognised at Test level, with the forward having not looked back since.

On Tuesday he was named in the Springboks‘ starting line-up for their Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks, with Pieter-Steph du Toit once again at lock.

Dream come true

The familiar positional shift for Du Toit is due to an injury crisis at lock which has opened the door to Dixon, who is relishing such a massive challenge at Ellis Park.

“It’s a dream come true because as a youngster I was a Bok fan and you plan your Saturday around Test matches, so to be able to experience playing against them is something I’m really looking forward to,” said Dixon.

“There were some nerves earlier in the week, but we’ve been training with a lot of urgency and intensity this week, although it is not different to any other Test week.”

On his current situation as he continues to rub shoulders with his Springboks heroes and prepares for the All Blacks fixture, Dixon admits it hasn’t “fully sunk in” yet.

“I’m living in the moment and the excitement of it all right now,” he said. “I don’t think everything has fully sunk in, so I’m just trying to soak it all up and enjoy it.”

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Dixon has an incredible role model to follow in the Boks set-up as the versatile Du Toit has been arguably the world’s best blindside flanker during recent seasons.

He was asked by the media if he had watched the 2023 World Cup final for tips about facing the All Blacks and he revealed that Du Toit has set a benchmark for him.

“I watched it a few times and I saw what Pieter-Steph du Toit did (in that game). Obviously, I don’t play the same type of game as he does, but the way he played certainly gave me a lot of confidence,” he said.

Like Du Toit, Dixon is also able to step in at second-row if required but following the news that Eben Etzebeth is fit to take a bench spot, his load has been eased.

“What stood out for me the first time I chatted to Eben was the way he got himself up for games and his competitiveness and desire to win,” he said of Etzebeth.

“The more experience he gets, the hungrier he gets to win, and he wears his heart on his sleeve in the way he plays, so I definitely feed off that energy as a player. Having him in the squad simplifies my job a little bit too.”

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