“If Harry Etzebeth was alive on Saturday evening he would have burst from pride and his smile would have run right around his head.”
Speaking to TimesLIVE Premium on Thursday, the late Etzebeth senior’s best friend of 45 years, Loukie Niemand, couldn’t help becoming a little misty-eyed while reliving the triumphant bittersweet victory of the Springboks in the World Cup barely three months after his friend’s death.
“When the final whistle blew and I saw Eben with his fists in the air, I immediately saw his father’s face in my mind’s eye. He would have been so, so proud.”
Harry Etzebeth succumbed to cancer after a long illness in July this year. Three days later a brave Eben, who said his goodbyes before boarding the plane to New Zealand, led the Springboks onto the field.
“We are all heartbroken that Harry could not see this victory. After the game there was absolutely a moment when the Bok joy and the sadness about Harry opened the faucets, and we all had a good cry,” Niemand said.
During the after-match celebrations, Eben’s wife of just more than eight months, let slip on Instagram that the pitter-patter of tiny little feet would soon be upon them.
Niemand has a belly laugh.
“We all knew about this for a couple of months, but nobody let the cat out the bag.”
They found out during an intimate family and friends getaway not long after Harry Etzebeth passed away.
“It was a very special moment I will remember forever. After dinner Eben sat back in his chair and said he had something in his heart that he wanted to share.
“When he broke the news, we all exploded. I don’t think we cheered that hard again, even when the final whistle blew on Saturday,” an emotional Niemand said.
While not even close family know whether the newest Etzebeth will be a boy or girl, Niemand has his fingers crossed.
“We would love and welcome a little girl as much as a boy, but I am sure I am speaking for the nation when I say another Etzebok would be very welcome.”
The Bok victory still feels like a dream.
“I still have to pinch myself and pause. Is this really happening? We all knew they were going to bring the World Cup back home when they boarded the plane, but to have it really happen is a wonderful dream come true.”
They watched the final in Langebaan.
“On Saturday Eben’s mom Karen and other friends joined us after the match to celebrate. We all got to speak to Eben in a video call to congratulate him,” Niemand said.
He laughs. “Eben’s brother Ryen and I shared another video call with Eben the next morning shortly after he received his new haircut from fellow Bok lock RG Snyman.”
This haircut, Niemand believes, is more than just a team joke or an example of their “gees.”
“It shows Eben’s character. He bet RG more than a month ago that if they won the World Cup he would let him cut his hair. Many other people would have avoided the outcome for vanity’s sake, but not our Eben. He is a man of his word,” Niemand said.
“I am struggling with my blood pressure after all the one-pointers. I am still floating on a cloud. I don’t know if it is because of the Bok victory or my new medication.”
World Rugby announcing Ardie Savea as the 2023 World Player of the Year a day after the Boks won the World Cup might also be a cause for the blood pressure issues.
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard. I congratulated Eben on the award during one of our video calls. I was so sure he would win after the incredible season he’s had. They’ve overlooked him so many times that I was convinced this was his year.”
Niemand believes Eben will have taken the disappointment in his stride.
“For him it's all about the team. Winning the World Cup and the prospect of becoming a father for the first time would have overshadowed this little moment by a mile,” Niemand said.
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