Eben Etzebeth: Will injured lock miss start of Springbok season?
· The South African
From a rugby perspective, Springbok and Sharks veteran Eben Etzebeth will certainly want to quickly forget the last few months.
In the final Springboks’ Test of 2025, he was red-carded for an eye gouge against Wales, and subsequently served a 12-match ban.
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After making a comeback appearance for the Sharks in their EPCR Challenge Cup clash against Connacht (a 29–12 loss), he then suffered a hip injury that is expected to rule him out of action for the next two months.
It leaves Etzebeth in a race against time to be fit for the Springboks’ first Test of the year against England on 4 July.
However, even if he recovers well, the fact of the matter is that he will have played so little since the Springboks’ last Test at the end of November that there may well be a need to integrate him slowly back into action.
Eben Etzebeth not the only injured lock for Springboks
Lood de Jager is currently recovering from hip surgery, and he is only likely to be available again at the end of the year, while RG Snyman could miss the entire 2026 Test after recently suffered a devastating ACL rupture.
Fellow Durban-based Springboks such as Bongi Mbonambi, Ethan Hooker, Aphelele Fassi, Grant Williams and Jordan Hendrikse are also all set to miss the rest of the URC season.
Fixtures for 2026:
International:
Saturday 20 June: Springboks v Barbarians (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha)
Nations Championship:
Saturday 4 July: Boks v England (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday 11 July:Boks v Scotland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday 18 July: Boks v Wales (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry:
Saturday 22 August: Boks v All Blacks (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday 29 August: Boks v All Blacks (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday 5 September: Boks v All Blacks (FNB Stadium, Johannesburg)
Saturday 12 September: Boks v All Blacks (M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, USA)
Once-off Test:
Sunday 27 September: Wallabies v Boks (Optus Stadium, Perth)
Nations Championship:
Saturday 7 November: Italy v Boks (Venue TBC)
Friday 13 November: France v Boks (Stade de France, Paris)
Saturday 21 November: Ireland v Boks (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)
Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November: Finals Weekend (Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, London)