Standing 6ft 8in and weighing 18st 7lb, South Africa lock Eben Etzebeth is a fearsome enough presence for England to contend with at Twickenham, even before they study his family history.
In certain parts of the Cape, the Etzebeth name is a byword for “don’t mess”. Etzebeth’s father was a policeman and his uncle Clifford — “Cliffie” — was the enforcer of the successful Western Province team of the 1970s and 1980s. Stories abound of Cliffie’s notoriety. There was one infamous Currie Cup semi-final in 1977 when Morne du Plessis, no angel himself, knocked out Naas Botha, the darling of the Transvaal, at Loftus Versfeld and Cliffie had to act as Du Plessis’s bodyguard to prevent him being lynched.
Even now Cliffie retains his ferocious reputation. A couple of years ago, aged 62, he won his age category at wrestling’s World Championships and it is said that most bars still turn quiet when Cliffie’s shadow looms at the door. Other uncles wrestled for South Africa in their prime and as bouncers, including Skattie, who was killed debt collecting in 1993.
Needless to say, backward steps do not come easily to Etzebeth. “People will know if you are hard,” Etzebeth said. “It is not standing back from anyone. Don’t ever move back or avoid confrontation. I don’t want to sound cocky but my brother was the same. It’s the people we are.
“I heard so many tales growing up about my uncles. There are some very funny stories that would keep you busy for a few hours. Clifford still phones me often. We have a good relationship. Every time you see him you hear a new story because there are so many.”
It would be fascinating to hear Cliffie’s viewpoint on the modern game and his thoughts in particular on Dane Coles’s yellow card against England for petulantly flicking his boot towards Chris Robshaw. When Cliffie was playing, justice was administered on the field, but Etzebeth accepts those days are in the past, particularly with the advent of television match officials and citing commissioners.
“You would get locked up for doing what they did,” Etzebeth said. “You can’t do that anymore. You must behave myself. You can get away with a bit of pushing and shoving, but if you punch someone then you risk being on the sidelines. They are small margins, but we are all professional so I think we all know where the line is and when to cross and not to cross.”
It is a line that Etzebeth has toed remarkably well. Although the 23-year-old was cited in 2012 for pushing his head towards Australia’s Nathan Sharpe, his last yellow card was for coming in at the side during a South Africa Under-20 game. As a professional, he has never been sent to the sin-bin.
“I actually am proud of that,” said Etzebeth, who recently flew to Japan with seven other Springboks to undergo special performance and apparel development at the ASICS Institute of Sports Science. “Although a lot of people probably won’t believe that because of what they hear from the media.”
That is not to say Etzebeth cannot inflict a bit of legal damage. Aged 20 he became a YouTube sensation for steamrollering Bismarck du Plessis, the South Africa hooker. That was in 2012, his breakthrough year, yet 12 months earlier Etzebeth was playing university rugby and three years before that he was a winger in his school’s ‘B’ team.
“I was a very late developer, very late. Even now I can’t grow a proper beard,” Etzebeth said. A remarkable growth spurt between the ages of 16 and 18 resulted in him gaining more than eight inches and 55lb of bulk. “I liked being in the back line, but my height did not give me much choice of where I was going to play,” he added.
Stories quickly emerged of Etzebeth’s strength. During the 2012 pre-season at Western Province, Etzebeth found the 65kg (143lb) dumbbells “unsatisfactory” so he strapped extra 5kg (11lb) weights to them. In the end, the club had to custom-order 75kg (165lb) dumbbells for him. By way of context, Kyle Eastmond, the England centre, weighs 83kg (183lb).
His party piece used to be to display his biceps, measuring 19 inches, although he hated doing it. For all his aggressiveness on the field, Etzebeth is quietly spoken, almost shy, off it and fiercely attached to his family. He can also become quite emotional. He burst into tears after being told he would win his first Springboks cap against England in 2012 and welled up again during the anthems. “I remember trying to sing the national anthem but no noise came out of my mouth because I was so choked up,” he said.
From that match onwards, Etzebeth has wasted no time in making his mark. He was voted South African Young Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013 and last year was also nominated for the IRB Player of the Year. His imposing physique allied with a phenomenal engine (he can cover 40 metres in 5.11 seconds) makes for an explosive combination, even if his progress this year has been checked by a frustrating foot injury.
Almost inevitably for a lock of his proportions, Etzebeth was labelled the “new Bakkies Botha” and he sympathises with Dave Attwood, his opposite number on Saturday, who also had to put up with being called “the new Martin Johnson” early in his career. “I always told them Bakkies was a South African legend, but I don’t want to be known as the new Bakkies — I want to create my own legacy.”
The return of Botha and Victor Matfield, his veteran partner in crime, to the national set-up has sped up his rugby education. “For the first year that Bakkies was back, I started spending longer at the dinner table just to hear his stories,” Etzebeth said. “It is awesome playing with two South African legends. Every day they give me advice.
“With Victor you learn so much about the line-outs. Some day I might play a few games at five so to see how he runs the line-out is really important. You need that in the team: the brains and the brawn. At the moment I prefer being at four. I like going out there, playing my game and not worrying about line-out calls, but maybe in the future that will change.”
For the moment Etzebeth’s sole focus is on England on Saturday and righting the wrongs of South Africa’s surprise 29-15 defeat to Ireland. After the high of ending New Zealand’s 22-match unbeaten record in Johannesburg last month, South Africa came crashing down to earth in Dublin and a response is needed at Twickenham to reinforce their World Cup credentials.
“We are certainly not happy with our performance but we know where we went wrong,” Etzebeth said. “They have a big forward pack so it will be a good battle this weekend at the scrums, line-outs and mauls.
“It is an important game for both teams; neither team will want to lose two in a row. The boys spoke about how it was our last tour in the northern hemisphere before the World Cup so every game is important for us and Saturday we are going to see where we are before the World Cup.”
As England will discover on Saturday, you cross an Etzebeth at your peril.
