‘It is the ultimate Test,’ says Eben Etzebeth about Boks-All Blacks decider
· Citizen
The Springboks’ leading all-time Test centurion, Eben Etzebeth, says the fourth and final Test against the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series will be as special as ever when they lock horns in the unfamiliar surroundings of the M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, USA on Saturday night (kick-off 11:10pm SA time).
The 145-times capped Bok lock star added Test matches against their biggest and fiercest rivals remained the “ultimate test”.
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The revival of traditional tours between the two most successful rugby teams in history has been a roaring success, and the Boks take a 2-1 series lead into the decider, after recovering from losing the opener at Ellis Park.
Their back-to-back wins in Cape Town and Soweto have given the Boks plenty of momentum, but the All Blacks have been close in every contest and will be desperate to bounce back and force a series draw.
“Every Test match, when you put the green and gold jersey on, is special,” said Etzebeth in the build-up to the match.
“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 as a draw, it’s a massive Test match.
“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.
“It’s been tough, there have been some bruising battles, but I think that’s what we all want to do and we love every second of it.”
Two best teams
The Boks and All Blacks are clearly the two best teams in world rugby at the moment, have shared the last five World Cup titles between them stretching back to 2007, as well as the last nine Rugby Championship titles stretching back to 2016.
They are so close on the world rugby rankings that the All Blacks took top spot after beating the Boks at Ellis Park, only for the hosts to snatch it back a week later.
The Boks will be very pleased to have won two of the three Tests played in South Africa, but they are now hungry to secure an outright win, while the All Blacks will be desperate not to lose and will be going all out to level the series.
With the next RGR series to take place under the same format in New Zealand in 2030, both teams will want to finish their first traditional tour since 1996 on the best possible note, in front of a packed crowd in Baltimore.