Etzebeth: Ireland are a well-rounded team

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Eben Etzebeth of South Africa tackled by Will Jordan of New Zealand during the 2022 Castle Lager Rugby Championship match between South Africa and New Zealand, at Mbombela Stadium, in Nelspruit on6 Auagust 2022 ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth says facing the No 1 ranked team in the world will be a “great test” for them when they take on Ireland in the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour clash at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.

The last time the South African national team faced off against Ireland in Dublin, the Irish side walked away with a comfortable 38-3 victory in 2017.

But Etzebeth believes are well-prepared to take on the top-ranked team in the world after completing their preparations for the match in Dublin.

“They have a good pack of forwards, and we saw against New Zealand that they have a strong maul and scrum. In fact, they won quite a few scrum penalties in that series, and adding to that they are very clinical at the breakdowns. So, they are a well-rounded team,” Etzebeth said.

“They banked a series win against the All Blacks in New Zealand earlier in the year and they are currently ranked the No 1 team in the world, so this will be a great test for us.

“The fact that we are facing them in the Rugby World Cup next year will also spice up the clash, but for us as a team that will be a different challenge on its own. We have a long tour ahead, and this is only the first match, and that is how we are approaching it as a team.

“We trained in the rain yesterday and earlier in the week in dry conditions, so we are ready for either one on match day.”

Photo by Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix