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Cape Town - Stormers lock Eben Etzebeth insists his mind is on his current role and that he is not thinking about his future at Toulon in France.
The French club announced in December last year that the Springbok lock would join them on a two-year deal.
The move was not acknowledged by the Stormers at the time but it looks a done deal that Etzebeth will leave for France at the end of the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
“I am not thinking about that at all,” Etzebeth told SA Rugbymag when asked about his imminent move at a Stormers training session on Monday.
“For me, it is (about) looking at the challenge of playing against the Crusaders (this weekend), and for the Stormers to still be part of it (the competition) when the round robin comes to a close. We are going to have to win most, if not all five of our remaining games to be a part of the quarter-finals.”
Etzebeth also told the Stormers’ website that they will be highly motivated for this weekend’s clash.
“If we can win this game; firstly they are the defending champions, so that is one box ticked. They are also far ahead in the competition, so if you can beat the number one team, you can probably beat all the other teams. It will definitely be a very positive thing for us if we can pull this one off,” he said.
Etzebeth said that considering the Crusaders’ record and their performances this season, the Stormers will have to be at their best to get the win in front of the Newlands crowd.
“Because they are number one and because they are the champions, the guys will be fired up and ready.
“It is always the big ones that you want to play in, you know it is going to be tough and you can get yourself up for it,” he added
Saturday’s clash is scheduled for 17:15.
