Schickerling v Etzebeth: Will it happen?
SPOTLIGHT: Following a three-year stint in Japan, lock JD Schickerling has made his way back to the Cape and picked up right where he left off.
Now he hopes to face former Stormers teammate Eben Etzebeth when the two coastal franchises go head-to-head in a United Rugby Championship Round Nine encounter in Cape Town on Saturday.
Schickerling gave some insights on the mood in the camp following the Stormers’ 29-10 URC win over the Lions.
“We always go into a game wanting to win,” Schickerling said.
“For us getting that win at home [against the Lions] gives us confidence going into the next game.
“It’s never perfect, so there’s always things we need to improve on.
“We’re just excited that we got the win and looking forward to our next match.”
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The 29-year-old also gave his thoughts on what it’s been like being back after his Japan stint.
“It’s nice for me to be back home.
“Especially seeing my family here and having that support system.
“I’m enjoying it.”
Schickerling was named the player of the match on Saturday.
His outstanding workrate around the park and crucial lineout steals managed to shut the Lions down from coming back within striking distance.
Hooker Joseph Dweba, however, bagged a brace on the day through lineout mauls, with Moerat and Schickerling at the heart of both scores.
“It’s awesome working with Joseph [Dweba].
“He’s always a guy that wants to push the limits and want to get better.
” Not just by himself but by pushing the squad, so it’s always nice working with Joseph.
“I’ll always back him in the lineouts etc and we work well together.”
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Schickerling is hopeful that Springbok Eben Etzebeth will be available for selection as he is looking forward to playing against one of his mentors when he was still a rookie at the Stormers.
Etzebeth is unlikely to feature according to the comments of Sharks head coach John Plumtree last week Thursday.
“Eben [Etzebeth] hasn’t passed his sway [a medical after suffering concussion] test so he’s unavailable,” Plumtree said.
He added: “So after 12 days they’ve [concussed players] got to pass what they call a sway test.
“If he [Eben Etzebeth] doesn’t pass that, it’s another seven days or something like that, but there’s a process they go through.
“He’s also got his back playing up, he’s going for a scan on his shoulder.
“We’re dealing with an athlete here whose body is not right and we need to get him right.”
Shickerling wants to measure himself against the best in the game although the prospect of Etzebeth playing is highly unlikely.
“If they [Sharks] do select him, it would be an awesome experience for me to play against him.
“I’ve also played with him.
“He’s been a big mentor for me when he was at the Stormers.
“It’s always good when you play against Springboks to measure yourself.”
Schickerling provided insight on the difficulty of setting the lineout maul and that it’s not a one-man-show, but a collective effort of everyone involved.
“The maul is always a difficult thing to get right.
“It’s never perfect, you can’t paint the picture of ‘this is what it needs to look like’.
“When it does come together it’s nice.
“It takes the whole forward pack to make it work.
“It can’t ever be just one guy that creates the maul for us.
“It’s something we as a team have to always work in and out to get it right on the weekend.
“We don’t always, but as long as we keep going, getting better and keep learning what we do works on the weekend.”
