Bok skipper Etzebeth primed for tough Azzurri battle

Padua: In a land where passions run high and emotions free‚ Springbok captain Eben Etzebeth takes to his job like a nun at a monastery.

He goes about his task with quiet determination.

Etzebeth will lead the Springboks into battle against Italy on Saturday and will do it by way of example.

The taciturn skipper is much more likely to run a hole through a wall and not tell you about it‚ than signalling his intentions with talk of velocity‚ angle of attack and structural integrity.

Before he can lead his team out against the Azzurri‚ he had some reassurances to make.

“It is looking really good. I came through training so it is fine‚” he said about an injury to him which wasn’t adequately explained earlier in the week.

“It was by my knee‚ lower leg. We did scans. There was nothing too serious going on there‚” clarified the matter.

He was mum too when it came to talk of possible retribution for what befell the Springboks in Florence last year.

Just like some find it taboo to raise the events that afflicted this continent between 1939 and 1945‚ or in South Africa‚ let’s say 1948-1994‚ the Springboks have refused to voluntarily bring up last year’s defeat against Italy.

“We put that behind us‚” came by now‚ an almost robotic response.

“We said at the start of the year‚ 2016 is a thing of the past. We are just focusing on this year and new challenges. We are not thinking about last year or revenge or anything like that‚” Etzebeth said.

While he got given the all clear to play‚ the Boks will go into battle without their destroyer of a hooker Malcolm Marx‚ who has yielded to a shoulder injury.

In his place comes Bongi Mbonambi who has patiently waited his opportunity to step out of the vast shadow of the Lions’ man.

“When I heard he was going to start I went up to him and said he deserves a start‚” the captain said.

“He’s been playing well all season. At the Stormers he’s a consistent line-out thrower. He’s a massive ball carrier and an aggressive player. I think he’ll be very eager to get going on Saturday.”

Mbonambi’s contribution will be key. He may not pack Marx’s devastating impact in the collisions but the regularity with which he finds his jumpers and intensity he brings to the scrum could help define the team’s performance. The Boks are desperate to shut Italy down up front and for that to happen‚ the new hooker has a key role to play.

What we’ve learnt is that the Boks don’t talk a big game but can they play one on Saturday?

Teams Italy - Jayden Hayward; Angelo Esposito‚ Tommaso Boni‚ Tomasso Castello‚ Mattia Bellini‚ Carlo Canna‚ Marcello Violi; Sergio Parisse (captain)‚ Abraham Steyn‚ Giovanni Licata; Dean Budd‚ Marco Fuser; Simone Ferrari‚ Luca Bigi‚ Andrea Lovotti. Substitutes: Leonardo Ghiraldini‚ Federico Zani‚ Tiziano Pasquali‚ Francesco Minto‚ Renato Giammarioli; Edoardo Gori‚ Ian McKinley‚ Matteo Minozzi.

South Africa - Andries Coetzee; Dillyn Leyds‚ Jesse Kriel‚ Francois Venter‚ Courtnall Skosan; Handre Pollard‚ Ross Cronje; Duane Vermeulen‚ Pieter-Steph du Toit‚ Francois Louw; Lood de Jager‚ Eben Etzebeth (captain); Wilco Louw‚ Bongi Mbonambi‚ Tendai Mtawarira. Substitutes: Chiliboy Ralepelle‚ Steven Kitshoff‚ Trevor Nyakane‚ Franco Mostert‚ Dan du Preez; Rudy Paige‚ Elton Jantjies‚ Warrick Gelant. Referee: Romain Poite (France) Kick-off: 15.00 (in SA)