When it comes to friendships in sport, there are very few that compare to that of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and his longtime friend Eben Etzebeth.
From their earlier years as students playing in the blue and white strips of the University of Cape Town (UCT), Western Province, Stormers, Springboks – and now also the Durban-based team, the Sharks – it seems as though the two are inseparable.
Last year Eben fondly expressed his disappointment in Siya’s announcement that he would call France his new home after signing with their local team Racing92, however, the journey was short-lived as Siya recently made a great return to join Eben at the Sharks, where he not only featured in this weekend’s game but also marked his comeback with a try!
Despite all of the fun they experienced playing together, Siya playfully called out Eben’s disloyalty towards their “bromance.” This comes after the URC (United Rugby Championship) competition shared a post on Instagram showing Eben and fellow Springbok Ox Nche having a bonding moment before the game’s kick-off.
In the video, Ox can be spotted affectionately glancing at his 2-meter-tall teammate as he prepares to lift him to catch the ball.
Responding to the video, Siya was not impressed.
Taking to Instagram, he commented and tagged both Eben and Ox, jokingly writing: “Eben, explain! Ox, we talk tomorrow.”
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Later he re-shared the post on his story along with the caption: “Wow, how quickly things change.”
Earlier this year Eben became the Springbok’s most-capped player of all time surpassing both veterans Bryan Habana as well as Victor Matfield. In honour of the milestone, Siya and Eben took time out to reflect on the journey before the match against Argentina at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
