The battle between Eben Etzebeth and Will Skelton is one that Japan head coach Eddie Jones is eagerly looking forward to when the Springboks and Wallabies collide at Ellis Park.<\/p>\n
Both players are highly respected for their ability at the highest level, and Jones has hailed them as the best heavyweights in the world.<\/p>\n
The veteran head coach holds both players in high regard, having worked with and against the pair throughout his career. In fact, it was Skelton whom Jones turned to when he named his Wallabies<\/a>\u2018 captain for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n Eben Etzebeth v Will Skelton<\/p>\n While he has not retained the captain\u2019s armband under Joe Schmidt, he remains a respected player in the squad with Tom Hooper singing his praises ahead of the clash against the Springboks<\/a> this weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s an enforcer, and that\u2019s what he\u2019s been doing for a long time now in the beautiful sport of rugby,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been, for want of a better word, he loves being that grub. He loves taking it to teams physically and making the gentleman\u2019s game a bit more exciting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love playing with him and he\u2019s just a physical presence. I\u2019ve never felt so small when I go over at the end of the game and give him a big hug, I feel like a little kid again. So, it\u2019s always good.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones is licking his lips at the prospect of seeing Skelton and Etzebeth going toe-to-toe, a battle he believes that renowned sports promoter Eddie Hearn would happily promote.<\/p>\n In his latest Planet Rugby column<\/a>, the coach also detailed what sets Skelton apart from other second-row forwards.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking ahead to Saturday, the biggest match-up I\u2019m looking forward to is Will Skelton v Eben Etzebeth. This is a bout that Eddie Hearn would be pleased to promote- the two best heavyweights in the world going toe to toe!\u201d Jones wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cKnowing them both well, they\u2019ll be bouncing off the walls in training this week, they\u2019ll want to tear pieces out of each other on Saturday and no quarter will be given by either man.<\/p>\n Eddie Jones backs Springboks ace to win 100m sprint \u2018by five metres\u2019 <\/a><\/p>\n