Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'A human being just like me': Kpoku savours Etzebeth head to head

(Photo by James Chance/Getty Images)

One-time England prospect Joel Kpoku can’t wait to tackle Springboks talisman Eben Etzebeth when their paths cross in this Friday night’s European Challenge Cup final between Lyon and Toulon in Marseille.  Etzebeth went head to head in the May 14 semi-final with Maro Itoje, the Saracens and England player that Kopku is often likened to.

ADVERTISEMENT

Having been man of the match in the semi-final win over Wasps, Kpoku now gets his chance with Lyon to battle against the Springboks forward in an eagerly awaited cup final at Stade Velodrome. Asked about the clash of the respective No4s, Kpoku said in a feature-length RugbyPass interview ahead of the final:  “It’s one where I can’t go into a shell. He is a human being just like me

“I know he has achieved amazing things in his career but at the same time when we are on that park he is the opposition so for me, it is concentrating on myself and not focusing too much on what I have opposite me in Etzebeth.”

Video Spacer

Eben Etzebeth | Rugby Roots

Video Spacer

Eben Etzebeth | Rugby Roots

A star at the 2018 Junior World Cup, Eddie Jones involved Kpoku at England training camps but his club career at Saracens didn’t reach expected heights as he fell down the selection pecking order and was also involved in the Barbarians’ game-cancelling farce in October 2020.   

Lyon, though, snapped up Kpoku last November and he is now set to feature in a European final just six months later. “Pierre (Mignoni) has been following me since the 2018 World Cup final.

Related

“He was looking at me from then on and tried to pick me up two years ago but I had already resigned, but he managed to pick me up in November and got his hands on me,” explained Kpoku when asked how the moved to France came about. 

“I asked my agent if there were there any teams in England interested. He came back and I think he said Bath but I was like, I didn’t really want to go to Bath. Nothing against them, so then Lyon came about and I spoke to my close ones, my parents and my family, and they said you might as well go for it.”

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Rassie Erasmus' Boks selection policy is becoming bizarre

To be fair, the only thing that drives engagement on this site is over the top critiques of Southern Hemisphere teams.


Or articles about people on podcasts criticizing southern hemisphere teams.


Articles regarding the Northern Hemisphere tend to be more positive than critical. I guess to also rile up kiwis and Saffers who seem to be the majority of followers in the comments section. There seems to be a whole department dedicated to Ireland’s world ranking news.


Despite being dialled into the Northern edition - I know sweet fokall about what’s going on in France.


And even less than fokall about what’s cutting in Japan - which has a fast growing, increasingly premium League competition emerging.


And let’s not talk about the pacific. Do they even play rugby Down there.


Oh and the Americas. I’ve read more articles about a young, stargazing Welshman’s foray into NFL than I have anything related to either the north and south continents of the Americas.


I will give credit that the women’s game is getting decent airtime. But for the rest and the above; it’s just pathetic coming from a World Rugby website.


Just consider the innovation emerging in Japan with the pedigree of coaches over there.


There’s so much good we could be reading.


Instead it’s unimaginative “critical for the sake of feigning controversial”. Which is lazy, because in order to pull that off all you need to be really good at is:


1. Being a doos;

2. Having an opinion.


No prior experience needed.


Which is not journalism. That’s like all or most of us in the comments section. People like Finn (who I believe is a RP contributor).


Anyway. Hopefully it will get better. The game is growing and the interest in the game is growing. Maybe it will attract more qualified journalists over time.

19 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Seven stars set to light up the Autumn Nations Series Seven stars set to light up the Autumn Nations Series
Search