Eben Etzebeth’s late inclusion on the Springbok bench for Saturday’s big Castle Lager Rugby Championship showdown with the All Blacks has boosted the confidence of Ben-Jason Dixon as he heads into what he sees as his ultimate test.
Instead of Etzebeth’s presence on the bench increasing the pressure on Dixon, who knows that Pieter-Steph du Toit will probably move back to his usual position of blindside flank when Etzebeth comes onto the field, it does the opposite. In the sense that firstly he has the world’s best No 7 on the field with him as his back-up, and secondly not having the added responsibility of being the back-up lock means what is already a massive challenge has been simplified.
Knowing that Du Toit will be there to carry on once he’s left the field means that Dixon can empty the tank in his time on the field.
“That does make a big difference and does give me more confidence going into this game,” agreed Dixon, who is one of two Springbok starters you would not have imagined being in that position against the All Blacks at the start of the international season. The other is his DHL Stormers teammate Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, with both having impressed coach Rassie Erasmus by seizing the playing opportunities they have been given.
Like Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Dixon hasn’t always been the first choice at the Stormers even though he has excelled for them, with Hacjivah Dayimani having kept him out of for instance last year’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship final against Munster. But the 26-year-old product of Paul Roos Gimnasium and Stellenbosch University has turned in some commanding and busy performances in the Bok jersey and he is looking forward to fulfilling his dream of playing against the All Blacks.
“Playing against the All Blacks is definitely the (ultimate) dream, that is the standard,” said Dixon in a break from preparations for Saturday’s game.
“As you grow up as a Springbok fan that (the games against the All Blacks) is the big moment. You plan your Saturday around those games, you plan your week around them. Being able now to experience the feeling of playing against the All Blacks myself is something I am really looking forward to. It is the big deal.”
He says he has been nervous from the start of the week, but those nerves have been eased slightly by the confirmation that Etzebeth, the Bok enforcer, has recovered sufficiently from the injury that initially kept him out of the team announced on Tuesday to be included on the bench.
“It simplifies my job a bit that Eben is in. I was the lock cover as well as the starting flank, and while I have been working on having full confidence in fulfilling that role, it is good to have a bit more time to grow into it,” he said.
“And having Pieter-Steph on the field with me means I can empty the tank knowing he is there to take over. It gives me a lot of confidence in that sense.”
FIRST TASTE OF KIWIS AT SENIOR LEVEL
This will be Dixon’s first taste of playing against New Zealand opposition at senior level as he was not part of the Super Rugby era.
“I have only played against New Zealand teams at junior level, I played against them at the under-20 Junior World Cup in 2018, when we met in the third and fourth playoff game.”
Dixon says that although he feels he is a different player to Du Toit, he has watched Du Toit’s match winning performance in last year’s World Cup final against the All Blacks several times to get pointers.
“He made 28 tackles in the final and while I like making lots of tackles, I am not sure I can get there that quickly,” he laughed.
“Obviously I watched the game (the RWC final) over a couple of times and particularly what Pieter-Steph did (as we play the same position). I learn from him, although my game is not exactly the same as his, and he will be on the field at the same time (as the starting lock). It does give me confidence that I will be playing with a guy that I have learned so much from.”
Although he hasn’t played against the All Blacks before, he has a good idea of what to expect, and knows it will be a big challenge.
“I know that when we play some other teams they stand back from our physicality, but the All Blacks won’t do that. The All Blacks give you 80 minutes, they never stop, you can’t ever relax against them, and that is what makes them such a big challenge. I am very excited about taking the challenge on.”