All Blacks skipper Sam Cane welcomes Boks lock Eben Etzebeth’s decision to play

Grieving Springboks skipper Eben Etzebeth will shake off the recent death of his father and front up against the All Blacks at Mount Smart Stadium on Saturday night.

The 31-year-old talismanic second-rower’s father Harry died on Tuesday, raising doubt on whether Etzebeth would play in the likely Rugby Championship decider or return home immediately to be with his family. He had been part of a 14-man advance party who arrived in Auckland midway through last week – nine of whom will start Saturday’s test, with another coming off the bench.

But a Springboks team spokesperson confirmed on Friday the 110-cap lock, who has just recovered from a shoulder injury three months ago to make the lineup, would play in the match which is set to offer a major World Cup form pointer for both sides.

Etzebeth’s decision was welcomed by All Blacks skipper Sam Cane who spoke about his rival captain’s call to front up at Friday’s captain’s run at the Auckland match venue.

”It’s obviously a pretty tough week for him and his family and as a team we send our condolences to the Etzebeth family,” said Cane who will captain the All Blacks for the 21st time on Saturday night. “It must be pretty tough for him being on the other side of the world. I suppose we will see each other at the coin toss and then do battle on the field.”

Cane expects a stern test from the Springboks who, like the All Blacks, are coming off a decisive victory in the opening round of the championship. The Boks thrashed the Wallabies 43-12 in Pretoria, with the All Blacks dishing out a 41-12 hiding of the Pumas in Mendoza.

The South Africans have not won in Auckland since 1937, but have won two of the last three matchups between the two countries. Since a record 57-0 victory by the All Blacks in Albany in 2017, the New Zealanders have won five, the Boks three, with a draw thrown in.

“I love these test matches against the Boks,” added Cane. “Our forward pack does. They’re games that are often won up front. There have been some epic battles over the years and everything is pointing to another one tomorrow.

“You can see by the bench they’ve picked they believe it will be a game won up front. We know their DNA and how they like to play – scrum, maul, penalty, set piece … we’re in for a big challenge. Last time we played them (a notable 35-23 victory at Ellis Park that saved Ian Foster’s job) we did really well in those areas and we’d like to think we’ve improved since then.”

The All Blacks split their Rugby Championship tests in the republic last year, beaten 26-10 in Mbombela before turning things round seven days later in Jo’burg, and Cane said the team had come a long way since then.

“The team has made massive growth. We’ve got a lot of confidence in terms of how far we’ve come, but also that there’s more to come. We’ll be trying to improve in areas from last week and put on a better performance,” he said.

“You’re always searching to find ways to get better and we’re only one test match into an important year. We’re in a good spot for test one, but we’ll continue to try to get better. We need to get better.”

For all that, Cane largely shrugged off any World Cup implications for either team who could meet in a quarterfinal in France, depending on how pool results played out. They will also have a pre-RWC showdown at Twickenham on August 26.

“It’s got implications for the Rugby Championship. Points are up for grabs. I don’t know if you can read too much into it. As a team to get to where we want to by the end of the year we need to make sure we’re making progress every week. To come up against one of the best teams in the world will be a real good gauge for us.”

Etzebeth’s steely presence for the Boks reinforces that.