Ex-WP loosie on Eben, Bakkies spat: 'It was just two hard men having a little go at each other'

Etzebeth took to Twitter last week after former Botha called into question his spell at French Top 14 club Toulon.

In an interview with Midi Olympique, Botha - who played for Toulon between 2011 and 2015 - acknowledged that while Etzebeth was the best lock in the world, he regrets "that he only shows his best face with the Springboks".

Etzebeth, who will join the Durban-based Sharks in July, responded and clearly wasn't impressed by what Botha had to say in the interview.

"@BakkiesBotha4- Noted. Next time you want to ENFORCE an opinion, you've got my number. #exspringbokteammates #onthoujouerekode," Etzebeth tweeted.

O'Cuinneagain, who played 19 Tests for Ireland after leaving Western Province, told Sport24 in a wide-ranging interview that he didn't think Etzebeth was "the type of player who would miss any game unless there was a really good reason".

"I think that what he was saying to Bakkies via his Twitter account was, 'Maybe just give me a call and check how serious my concussion was and how bad my calf tear really is. I actually am here trying to do a job and when I come out to play for South Africa and the Sharks, I'm also going to try to be on the field'.

"I think it was just two hard men having a little go at each other which is actually quite fun for everyone else. At the height of my career, social media was not as big but I remember getting criticised by one or two former Irish players who had become media men.

"I saw them as journalists and understood that their job was to call you out if you weren’t playing well. I never really took the media situation to heart too much. In terms of who was the greatest enforcer between Botha and Etzebeth, I can't say for sure because I didn't play against either of them."

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