Dangermen of the Rugby World Cup: Eben Etzebeth
Rugby World Cup: 2013 IRB Player of the year nominee Eben Etzebeth was marked out as a player with huge potential from his early days playing school rugby for Tygerberg High School. That potential has definitely started to come to fruition as was illustrated by his amazingly impactful season with the Stormers and more recently with his impressive performances for the Springboks against the World XV and Australia.
Recognised as one of the top forwards in world rugby, the 24 year old Etzebeth stands at a massive 2.04 m. His size is only matched by his intensity and love of the game, especially the physical side of it. There are few players in the world who can be legitimately described as warriors, but any other description would not do Etzebeth’s style justice.
In 2011 Etzebeth’s career started to take flight as he was part of the UCT Ikey Tigers team that won the Varsity Cup. Shortly thereafter he was drafted as part of the 2012 Stormers side and made his debut on 28 February against the Hurricanes. In the 2013 Super rugby season Etzebeth cemented his place as one of the world’s top lock’s as he won a team-record 47 lineouts and affected 8 steals on opposition throws.
Springbok coaching staff took notice and Etzebeth earned a call up to the squad ahead of the three match test series against England in June 2012. Since then Etzebeth has maintained his position as the number one choice for the Springbok no. 4 jersey.
The key to Etzebeth’s success lies in his physicality, specifically his upper body strength. For such a tall man, he possesses the strength of a man with a lower centre of gravity. His strength is where his true danger factor lies.
In the wake of Bakkies Botha retiring from international rugby it is time for a new Springbok legend to be born. This year’s world cup is the perfect stage for Eben Etzebeth to confirm that he will be this legend. We’ll have to wait and see if he can pull off this massive task. But if anyone can, it will be the young man from Cape Town.