Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth has urged the senior players in the team to raise their hands and use their experience to influence the outcome of Saturday's first Test against France.
Bok coach Allister Coetzee named eight uncapped players in his 31-man squad when he announced the team last month but there are a number of experienced campaigners who are expected to play key roles in the Tests in Pretoria‚ Durban and Johannesburg.
Etzebeth said the senior players will have a massive responsibility on their shoulders when the Boks face Les Bleus at Loftus on Saturday afternoon.
“I have had the privilege of captaining the Stormers a few times this year and now I am here with the Boks and part of the leadership group here‚" said the 25-year old Etzebeth.
"It is a massive responsibility on our shoulders and I am glad to be part of it. There is massive excitement in the camp which started last week in Plettenberg Bay.
"It is an environment where we care for each other and put the team first.
"The whole vibe is good with all the guys coming together and we are focused on Springbok rugby and looking forward to the match on Saturday.”
Etzebeth‚ who has 54 caps‚ and prop Tendai Mtawarira‚ who is closing in on a century of matches with 87 matches‚ are going to be vital for the execution of strategies during scrums and line-outs.
Looking ahead to the weekend’s clash against the visitors‚ the Stormers lock said they are expecting a physical encounter from the French pack but they will rely on information from the players who are based in the European country.
“They have a physical pack‚ we are not signaling them out man for man but as a whole.
"Saturday is going to be a physical encounter‚ from one to eight we know that and we are looking forward to getting the better of their forwards.
"Our coaches have done their homework and they will give us feedback on everything regarding them and hopefully we will get some insights from some of our guys who are based in France.”
The other area that Etzebeth pointed out as important on Saturday is discipline.
“Discipline is always important at this level because you don’t want to get yellow cards or give penalties away.
"Personally‚ I have played over a 100 games for the Stormers and I have only received two yellow cards.
"I must say that I control my anger well enough and hopefully it will be the case again on Saturday.”
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 