In DublinSpringbok lock Eben Etzebeth said the 2017 defeat against Ireland is a game that still makes an appearance in his mind ever so often and a win in the Test at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday will sweeten their tour deal.Etzebeth, who has clocked up more than a ton of Test caps, was captain on the day when the Boks were rudely ambushed by Joe Schmidt's side.It was the second time that Etzebeth's leadership that year was pockmarked by a record defeat.
Etzebeth was captain when the Boks were annihilated 57-0 by the All Blacks in Albany.LIVE | On tour with the SpringboksEtzebeth, who is the sole survivor from the 2012 Dublin win, said their 2018 win against the All Blacks in Wellington washed away the pain of the previous year's hammering and hoped a win against the Irish will have a similar effect on them."The Test that we lost 38-3 will always be at the back of your mind.
It's not something that one forgets easily," Etzebeth said."It's almost like the 57-0 defeat against the All Blacks and that loss made the win in Wellington all the sweeter for us because of the margin of defeat.READ | Aviva Stadium has scars for Rassie that only the Boks can fix"We're getting the same opportunity against Ireland, even though there's the distance between the games, but we still have the opportunity of putting things right."There are guys who didn't play in the 2017 Test, but we'll keep within our structures for the game."Ireland15 Hugo Keenan; 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Mack Hansen; 10 Johnny Sexton (captain), 9 Conor Murray; 8 Caelan Doris; 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony; 5 James Ryan, 4 Tadhg Beirne; 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew PorterSubstitutes: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian