Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth recently returned to South Africa after winning the Rugby Championship, and he has been doing various promotional activations for the launch of his autobiography, Unlocked, which has just hit bookshelves.
The book covers both on field and off field matters, while reflecting on his role as a key part of the Springbok team for over a decade, which includes two consecutive World Cup triumphs and more than 130 Test caps.
However, while he has enjoyed forming part of a current golden generation of Springboks, it has not always been so rosy.
Eben reflects on some difficult times with the Springboks
Ezebeth has highlighted one point in his carer, as a 23-year-old rookie on the 2014 end-of-year tour, when he lost faith in some of the senior players.
“Some senior players turned up late for a meeting and another was late for the jersey handover on Friday,” he writes. “[Coach] Heyneke [Meyer] was furious the following week and told the senior players he wanted nothing to do with them. He basically withdrew his services for the match against Italy and handed the reins over to [assistant coach] Johann van Graan.
“It was a strange time for me, because I had looked up to those senior players since I was a kid, and they could do no wrong in my eyes,” Eben writes.
Learning curves
The Springboks’ most-capped player of all time also spoke about a time in 2016 under then coach Allister Coetzee when he came to form a new appreciation for the values of team discipline.
“The discipline in the group was not very good and some guys on the fringes of the starting team decided it was a good idea to go partying just a few days before our match against the All Blacks in Durban,” he recalls, with the Springboks ultimately suffering a heavy 57-15 defeat that day.
“South African journalists found out about it, which created a bad feeling in the group. There was a feeling that we lacked an effective leadership group – experienced players who were not afraid to tell the younger guys how real Springboks behave.
“I don’t remember any booing that day, but the silence was actually worse. When supporters boo you, it shows they care, while silence means they have no hope for you.”
