South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth

Etzebeth makes Springboks World Cup squad

The Springbok group was cut from 32 players to 31 for the upcoming finals and the squad reveal had threatened to be marred by social media allegations of an incident involving the lock.

However, responding to the reports, Etzebeth provided a categorical denial - and the South African Rugby United (SARU) insisted it will stand by its man unless further informed by authorities.