Boks’ main off-field priority now is to get Eben Etzebeth fit and firing

Getting Eben Etzebeth back to full fitness should be the number one priority of the Springbok management team over the next couple of weeks, as he is an integral cog in their aspirations of retaining the Webb Ellis Cup in France.

Etzebeth left the field in the first half of the Boks’ opening game win over Scotland with a shoulder injury that SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Erasmus admitted would rule him out of training for seven to 10 days.

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That means Etzebeth could be in a race against time to prove his fitness for the Boks’ massive pool B clash against Ireland next week Saturday.

If he manages to return to training after seven days it means he should be in contention for the match as he will have a full week to prepare, however, if he only returns after 10 days it is likely he will miss the game as the Boks name their team early in the week and only back players for the matchday squad who are fully fit.

Crucial win

With the Boks having picked up a crucial win over Scotland that should take a lot of pressure off of the Bok management’s shoulders in them possibly rushing Etzebeth back from injury.

If they had lost against Scotland, the Irish match would have been a must-win game and the team’s enforcer would have had to play, but now they have the luxury of easing Etzebeth back and letting him miss the Ireland match could be more beneficial to the Boks.

But Etzebeth will need to be back in the mix for the team’s final pool match against Tonga and he will likely play a massive role in the knockout rounds of the competition.

Although Jean Kleyn is a more than able replacement for Etzebeth, it is the latter man’s experience and leadership qualities that are most important for the Boks once the tournament enters the business end.

The Boks are already without three World Cup winners from 2019, with injury seeing Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am and Lood de Jager all miss out on the final 33-man squad, so it is vitally important that players like Etzebeth are fit and available in the run in.