Eben hits back at Bakkies after criticising Toulon spell

Springbok lock heavyweights Eben Etzebeth and Bakkies Botha have got themselves embroiled in a war of words following Etzebeth’s decision to leave Toulon in France for the Sharks.

Botha, who played many Tests for the Springboks and also became a Toulon legend, spoke out at the weekend about Etzebeth’s short, injury-interrupted spell at the French club.

He told French sports publication Midi Olympique that he was disappointed that Etzebeth was consistently injured and performed best for the Springboks.

“Obviously, he was not made for France and he will turn his back on the problems the club went through to return to South Africa.

“It’s disappointing. I love Eben, I repeat. But you can’t say when you arrive in Toulon: ‘I want to be champion of France’ and leave some time later without having marked the club in one way or another.

“His first season was not bad but it is not enough. When you recruit a world-class player, it’s for him to make a difference.”

Etzebeth will leave Toulon early and without playing until his contract expires to join the Sharks.

Late on Monday Etzebeth hit back at Botha on social media, telling the former Bok lock he “Noted” his words about his time at Toulon, and added “Next time you want to ENFORCE an opinion, you’ve got my number.”

Botha and Etzebeth are both regarded Bok enforcers for their hard, no-nonsense play.

Etzebeth finished his tweet by adding the hashtags #exspringbokteammates and #onthoujouerekode (“remember your honour code”) – believed to be a reference to Bok players needing to respect and honour the code of not criticising other Bok players.