VIDEO: 'Eben wants to honour his dad'
REACTION: Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick says Eben Etzebeth’s decision to play against the All Blacks is a way of honouring his late father.
Harry Etzebeth passed away on Tuesday, which caused some uncertainty around the Bok captain’s availability for Saturday’s Championship Round Two clash in Auckland.
However, on Friday, SA Rugby confirmed that the 31-year-old will lead the team out at Mount Smart Stadium.
Etzebeth wasn’t present at the captain’s press conference on Friday, but Stick was on hand answer questions about the towering lock and the mood in the camp.
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“Eben’s loss is also our loss because we are a family,” said Stick.
“It’s very sad. We are really with him and there is one thing about us as a team, we are always there for each other through tough times.
“The focus this week is about him and his dad and we also lost Jaden’s [Hendrikse] dad before we left South Africa.
“As a team, we are always there to support the guys and we have done everything in our power to make sure that we are there for Eben and that is also the reason why he is playing.
“He made a choice to play this weekend and I would like to think that he wants to do it for his dad.”
When asked if the squad was eager to perform out of their skins for Etzebeth, Stick maintained that they have tried to keep all their focus on their preparations for the game.
“From our side, we prepped as we always do,” Stick explained.
“We knew it was going to be a big task to come play the All Blacks away from home.
“With Eben’s loss, we just want to be there for him.
“The gentleman made a decision. He wants to play and he probably wants to honour his dad with this game and you can’t ask for a better game than playing against the All Blacks.
“It will also be very special with what he is going through.
“As a team, we are just there for him.
“We are just going to make sure that we go there and do everything in our power because Eben is our captain for the week. We are always going to make sure that we perform our best.”
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