Eben Etzebeth is a man mountain and a key enforcer in the Springbok pack heading to the Rugby World Cup. He could just be reaching his peak, writes Jon Cardinelli.

Eben Etzebeth has won a World Cup and a Rugby Championship, and has played more than 100 Tests for South Africa. His place in the rugby pantheon is assured, yet he still plays every match – for the Sharks and Springboks – as if he has something to prove.

It is, perhaps, why he was recently named South African Rugby Player of the Year for 2022 amid some stiff competition.

“When you’re young, you’re desperate to prove yourself and savour every moment in that Springbok jersey,” he said recently. “As you get older, it’s the same, yet different.

“You’re getting older, and you don’t know which game will be your last. You’re going out there and giving it everything you have. It’s been 10 years since I made my debut, but I still haven’t lost that passion for the game or the opportunity to represent the Boks.”

If there were any doubts about Etzebeth’s value in the wake of an epic 2019 World Cup campaign, they have been allayed over the course of the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He has contributed to historic victories against the British & Irish Lions, All Blacks and Wallabies during that period.

What is more, he has developed into one of the game’s sharpest lineout exponents, and has used his hulking frame and reach to amplify the Boks’ kick-chase strategy.

As Etzebeth approaches his 11th season of international rugby, as well as his third World Cup tournament, it is clear he has lost none of his trademark physicality. Fitness permitting, he will travel to the World Cup in France this September as one of the most experienced and influential members of the Bok squad.

Until then, he will continue to fight the perception that he lacks the desire to contribute to his club in the regional competitions.

Etzebeth played every Test for the Boks in 2021, and was sidelined for several months thereafter owing to various injuries. As a result, he missed most of Toulon’s French Top 14 and European Challenge Cup campaigns.

This did not go down well with Toulon president Bernard Lemaitre, who even labelled Etzebeth a “handicap” to the club.

Others in French rugby circles began to question his value, and his commitment to the cause.

Etzebeth bounced back to star for Toulon at the back end of the 2021-22 season, and to feature in all 13 Tests for the Boks in 2022. When he joined his new franchise, the Sharks, director of rugby Neil Powell explained that Etzebeth had been recruited for his strengths as a player and a leader.

“We expect that same [Test] level of performance,” said Powell. “He sets high standards for himself and wants to be successful in everything he does, and he’s got that internal drive to be the best in the world, whether he plays in a Springbok- or Sharks jersey, or when he used to play in a Stormers jersey. I think he’s that type of person.”

The Sharks already had the likes of Siya Kolisi and Bongi Mbonambi on their books at that stage. The recruitment of Etzebeth, however, had the potential to take the team to the next level in the United Rugby Championship and Champions Cup.

Many observed that his existing relationship with Kolisi and Mbonambi – who had played alongside Etzebeth at the Stormers and subsequently for the Boks – would strengthen the Sharks set piece. Etzebeth’s knowledge of European teams and northern- hemisphere teams was also viewed as a major plus.

In his first game for the Sharks, Etzebeth delivered a man-of-the-match performance in a resounding 40–12 win against Glasgow Warriors. He played all four Tests on the tour to Europe before returning to club duty in the Champions Cup in December.

Thanks to Etzebeth and a Bok-laden pack, the Sharks secured historic wins against Bordeaux Bègles (in France) and English side Harlequins, and ultimately strengthened their bid for a place in the playoffs.

“I still think some players don’t realise how big this competition actually is,” Etzebeth said. “I don’t think our South African fans realise it either. It’s going to take us a season or two to really take it all in and see the magnitude of this competition. It is probably the best club competition in the world. For us it’s a massive opportunity, and good for rugby.”

The inclusion of South African teams may be good for the Champions Cup, but the current schedule – which sees top Bok players competing all year round – is bound to take its toll sooner rather than later.

SA Rugby and all the respective franchises have taken steps to ensure the best players are managed over the course of a calendar year – with a 32- game cap in place – and that the Boks in particular are kept fresh in the lead- up to the next World Cup.

Etzebeth and his Sharks teammates will be desperate to finish the club season on a high in both the URC and Champions Cup competitions. Bok coach Jacques Nienaber, on the other hand, will hope that his best players avoid serious injury ahead of the all- important global tournament in France.

Nienaber has worked hard over the past two seasons to blood new talent and experiment with different squad combinations in an attempt to build depth ahead of the World Cup. While a number of young locks have impressed, none boast Etzebeth’s experience.

Salmaan Moerat, who won the URC title with the Stormers and earned his first Bok cap in 2022, was identified as a potential alternative. Unfortunately, Moerat sustained a serious injury in a URC match staged over the festive period, and faces a race for fitness ahead of the World Cup.

South Africa boasts plenty of No 5 lock options – Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert and Ruan Nortjé, to name but a few – but few genuine No 4s who relish that physical enforcer role.

RG Snyman, who won the World Cup with South Africa in 2019, has been plagued by injuries over the past three years, and it remains to be seen
whether he will be available for the upcoming tournament in France.

With all of this in mind, the management of Etzebeth at the back end of the club season – and in the lead- up to the World Cup itself – will be paramount. The Sharks and the Boks will need to strike the right balance to ensure that one of South Africa’s prize assets remains fresh for the matches that matter. A season-ending injury would be disastrous, though a heavy workload that compromises Etzebeth’s performance in the latter stages of the World Cup could be just as damaging.

“I don’t like the idea of ‘being managed’,” Etzebeth said recently. “But it’s good for my career to be back in South Africa. The relevant people can help to implement a plan and ensure that I serve the Sharks and Boks to the best of my ability.”

Indeed, ensuring that one of South Africa’s best players arrives at the World Cup in the best possible shape will take a team effort.

Photo by EPA/KIM LUDBROOK