Former Springbok head coach Nick Mallett has issued a stark warning to double Rugby World Cup winner Eben Etzebeth, suggesting the veteran lock is no longer guaranteed an automatic starting spot upon his return to Test action.
The 34-year-old enforcer has endured a grueling nine months on the sidelines, starting with a 12-match suspension following a red card for an eye-gouge offence in the final Test of 2025, followed by a frustrating string of injuries and concussion protocols that ruled him out of the July international window.
Mallett Questions Etzebeth’s Match Readiness
While Etzebeth is expected to be cleared ahead of South Africa’s high-stakes August series against the All Blacks, Mallett raised serious doubts about whether a single warm-up fixture will be enough to get the veteran up to speed.
Speaking on the Talking Boks podcast, Mallett emphasized that reputation alone won’t secure a jersey in Rassie Erasmus’ side:
“A guy like Eben Etzebeth has taken such a long time to get back into the mix. So you’ve got to have a question mark as to whether one game against Argentina and some really intense alignment camps are going to be enough for him to go straight into an All Blacks Test.
You can only live on reputation for so long. You’ve actually got to perform,” Mallett stated. “The players who’ve played over the last three weekends have all performed well. So the guys coming back from injury know this Argentina game is a very, very important one for them.”
Lock Depth Under the Spotlight
Although the Springboks face selection decisions in the second row, players like Cobus Wiese have stepped up to provide physical presence in the engine room, while World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph du Toit remains a viable option at No. 4 lock.
With competition for places heating up, Etzebeth faces an intense race against time to prove his match sharpness before the Boks lock horns with New Zealand.
