Etzebeth doubles down on Ireland vaccine case, claims media ‘has him in their sights’

Ireland’s rivalry with South Africa will resume this summer in a two-match Test series, with Andy Farrell’s Ireland team taking on the Springboks in Pretoria and Durban over the next two weekends.

While it is not the typical fierce rivalry like that between Ireland and England, it has been fuelled by harsh comments made at recent matches, mainly by the South African team.

Much of the outbursts have been blamed on the ever-wild Rassie Erasmus, but it was a statement from Eben Etzebeth earlier this year that, more than any other, sparked the ire of the Irish rugby public.

South African rugby titan Etzebeth lost some of his supporters in April when he accused the Irish team of arrogant behaviour following their clash with the Springboks at last year’s Rugby World Cup.

It appears on Under RugbyEtzebeth claimed that more than a dozen Irish players approached him after the match and said something like, “See you in the final.”

The 32-year-old’s statements have not been received too warmly, with professionals from Ireland and elsewhere rejecting any accusations of arrogance from the Irish team.

Ahead of the two teams’ meeting in South Africa this weekend, Etzebeth faced the media on Tuesday. Of course, he was asked to comment on his accusation and his reaction to it.

His response – in which he claimed he felt “attacked” by the Irish media – misses the mark.

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Ireland v South Africa: Etzebeth and Rassie play the same tune

When asked today to elaborate on his comments from April, Eben Etzebeth said he had been “taken out of context” and “privileged” by the Irish media response.

I would say the Irish media certainly targeted me after that incident.

I said what I said. I see a lot of them saying, “How can you count to that exact number?” Of course you’re giving an estimate. There were definitely at least six or seven and no more than 20. So I just gave an estimate.

We would never tell the team after the match that we would see each other in the final when there was so much rugby left to play. Maybe that was their way of saying that we were a good team and that we could go all the way.

But people misinterpreted what I said and took my words out of context.

The Sharks second-line player may argue that the response to his comments was unfair, but if you read them again you will see that they were not misquoted or mishandled in any way.

Etzebeth himself used the word “arrogant” to describe the alleged behaviour of the Irish team in April and it is understandable that this was the point that the media picked up on.

Of course, Etzebeth’s extensive statements have a wider context, but when viewed as a whole, he strongly criticised what he saw as arrogance on the part of Andy Farrell’s team.

The claim that he was “targeted” by the Irish media seems like a cheap attempt to belittle his comments. By claiming they were taken out of context, Etzebeth seems to be trying to bury the quotes in the past.

Of course, Etzebeth wasn’t the only player to accuse the Irish media – or the team – of misconduct in the build-up to this two-Test series. Former Munster player Damian de Allende said he wanted to make a point against the Irish press, who he felt had disrespected the South African team in previous years.

Elsewhere, Rassie Erasmus indulged in his usual intrigues, and Cheslin Kolbe also suggested that South Africa was faced with narratives it did not like and would like to stamp them out.

Once again we saw the Boks up the ante by accusing their opponents of being talkative and arrogant – while doing a lot of talking themselves.

You’ve got to love it in a way, and the stakes have indeed been raised. Ireland face South Africa in the first Test from Pretoria on Saturday, kick-off at 4pm Irish time.

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