Eztebeth aka BRuno aka lady elizabeth overrated ???

Hi all -

I tried to watch this young lad last nite after all the hype and didnt even know he was playing...

I think hes pretty soft still and you saffas are talking him up way too much.

The one time I noticed he was trying to talk tough to TImani who I would 10000% guarantee would smash him if it came to fists...

From waht I can see (so far) big boy but all talk.

BTW did you see Timani's hit on your prop - or  PAlu smashing through the centres even five mintues...

IE no equivilient from big Bruno....

surely this is one thing even kwiwis and I see eye to eye on....

 You still angry over him out playing Sharpe in the Rugby Championship? He'll soon prove you wrong.

 I guess you missed the whole of last year Red. And the finer points of today's game. Here are the stats:

So he beats two defenders, makes two offloads, makes all of his 13 tackles, takes three lineout balls on his throw and steals two from your chaps. So what do you want?

 Yes Moz, but the way you lot carry on about him, he's some sort of super hero which he's obviously not!

You guys seem to think that just cos he gets aggro and headbutts blokes and looks at the opposition with a filthy stare (Bakkies No.2!), he's an oustanding lock!!

What he is is a good S15 lock; at this stage nothing more. Let's see how he fares in the RC before going all gaga about him.

If the rugby world thought Vic and Bakkies were good wait until Eben and Pieter come of age.

maybe hell come good - but all i can see so far is all bark no bite.

i agree, timani would have killed elizabeth in a fist fight, like bakkies, elizabeth is a s storng as an ox and only 1/8th as smart, LMAO, :oP

@shezza,

"You still angry over him out playing Sharpe in the Rugby Championship? He'll soon prove you wrong."

correct me if im worng, but didnt sharpie play the pumas a week later after the 1st Bok and wallaby test??? where was lady elizabeth??? oh thats right, she did a very woman like headbutt and got suspended a week later, tsk tsk tsk, :o)

@mozter,
zero hadaling errors would of been nice, but two isnt too bad considering lady elizabeth has been gone for half the season mending his fragile body, -_o

And now Etzebeth is regarded as one of the biggest threats to opposing teams, just look at the way England tried countering him in the November tests. They had little Launchbury try and ruffle his feathers but ended up losing his own temper before Eben did!

 Current form? He just played his first Super 15 match....

And last year he was definitely the stand out lock internationally and in the Super 15

@shezza,

only in SA is that opinon true, but the patriotric stance of everyone has a role in that opinon too.

in NZ ezebteh was widely regarded, cos he did have a stellar year, but we werent so one eyed to say he wss the standout, luke roman and brodie rettalick had in NZ opinons a stellar rugby year too, one that was just as good as ezebeths without the tainit oif an ill disciplined enforced suspension.
i cant help but notice no one talks about ezebeths impressive sowetto test appearance against the All Blacks, he was so great in that game, he was subbed off in the 58th minute, its been my experience that coaches usually keep their star preformers on the field, especially when down by 10 points like the Boks were at the time??? o_O

IMO ezebeth definately has the potential to be either the worlds and possibly ebst ever lock, or another bakkies (current evidence suggets the smart money would be on the latter).
i think the international community have a more wait and see approach, while saffas on the back of the Boks lack of success last year were almost desperate to grab anything that even looked like a win, so ezebeth was prob a bright and valid promising shinig light.

 In Britian he's regarded as the best if not one of them, seeing as he outplayed Lion Richie Gray, Launchbury and the Irish Lock. Great players are often vulnerable to stupid moments, there have been countless times when All Blacks have committed foul play (Thompson stamping on the Scots head ring a bell?). 

yeah, in britain they thought englands one win over one of the best possible All blacks team ever made them rugby champions, despite winning 50% of their games and holding no trophies of note.

a better example instead of thomo would have been hores cheapy on the welsh lock. i think thomos suspension was fair, but did he stamp on his head, or press down with his boot on his head which did notning. i assure u if he had stamped on his head there would have been real hell to pay. this is furhter highlighted by the fact that scottish lock came to thomos defence during his hearing.
also thomo was never consideired a frointline player, unlike the Boks, during the EOYT hansen used it to bloddy new players and give others more experience, thats why thomo played.
during thomos 5 year All Black career, he accumulated one foul play charge which was a meh, a very reckless but not intentional foot press, in lady ezebeths 6 game Bok career, he already copped a suspension charge. anyone here a gambling man??? cos i gurantee that elizabeth will be suspended again before the RWC.

Forgot about Hore, yes Hore is a better example. Well if I was a betting man I would use the super 15 as an indicator, due to it being a longer season than the international one, as well and I don't think he's been cited yet! Care to correct me if I'm wrong mind I do tend to be forgetful :P

 Etzebeth may not go onto the be the top lock in the world, but he could allways be the top double actor for Bruno. 

The resemblance is uncanny.

Neither the Kiwi's or Aussies have any lock remotely as imposing and as good as Etzebeth. They can dream all they like. Any candidates they put into the hat are simply insulting.

Etzebeth is going to hurt Oz and NZ for many years. A fit Etzebeth is the best lock in the game right now. 

 Polyboy your comment is dripping with jealousy. It's a pretty dumb move judging a players form after one game (which he played after coming back from injury and the stats supported him having a good game). Yes he was the standout lock.

Well Shezza, I think you'll find " Britain " thinks no such think about Etzebeth.....most Brits have more opinions of NZ players than they do SA players, regardless of whether that should be the case or not, so I'm not sure where you're getting your information from.

Also, your comments regarding Joe Launchbury are rather petty given he was playing his first full International and had only had his first run on in an International the week before, against Fiji. I'd also have thought that, if Etzebeth was the God-like player you are suggesting, he wouldn't have needed Alberts to score that fluke of a try to win the match, he would just have walked all over us himself ? In fact, he could probably have dispensed with the rest of the team and just run out all on his lonesome :) 

Oh and as for our win over NZ, no, some of us haven't claimed to be World beaters just because we won one match. We just enjoyed the moment, thanks, Sasuke.

I think what got all the saffas hot under the collar was Bruno bumping off Bismark last year (incidentally he's seems to have sunk as well...). Yes good hit but the real question is... CAN he continue to grow and become a dominant world class lock... physically yes... but mentally - I think a good few years off it...

I thought Bekka outplayed him completely over the game on the weekend - but Bekka too has struggled @ international level.

Personally I like Bruno (not in the sense of your bokke boys...) and would like to see him fill a void left by Bakkies as a genuine tough guy enforcer not afraid to use the eye-gouge / knee or any other low act on the ABs.... but I think hes still a few years off it.... if at all. 

For the record the lock who was setting the Aussie comp onfire till injury was hugh mcmeniman ex-reds player returned from Japan to Force - would have loved to see him and Horwill join up under Ewen in the near future at wallabies. But across the field for locks in the comp Horwill is the man - he would dominate young bruno still.

I gotta say kiwi romano and retallik are both as good as any locks out there too IMO - and think the stocks of locks from sheepland are pretty thick.

LOL. Lady Elizabeth = Bruno

That's excellent. Had to laugh at lady Bruno Elizabeth in the game when he was trying to act like the enforcer and indicating with his finger for one of the Tahs players to come closer, and ended up looking like a call girl. Very overrated player.

Its amazing what complete twaddle the kiwi bird brains and now even ou Redsman will say in an effort to find some comfort for themsleves.

Quite obviously Eben and Bekker are the two premier locks in the world. Du Toit being about to join them in the super league.

I thought to post  a few pictures, including the one snapster found, so that their nightmare can continue unabated. Elizabeth hahahahahahha how lame can these oaks get!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I also note how before the departure of Malherbe, Fourie, Vermuelen and Elstadt the all wobbly pack was under the pump. Imagine the situation if Tiaan had been at hooker and Burger playng. Question is could any internatioanal pack handle that lot. The answer is a resounding NO (940 kgs of dynamite).  Oh how the other Super 15 sides have been spared some very severe snotklaps this season. Mercifully I guess you can say. However the rugby world has been denied a wonder to behold. I can only imagine the awe the rest of the world would have been in after seeing this MightyStormers pack in action. Alas it was not to be as mercy trumped everything.

 Becs seeing as I live in Britain, Wales to be exact (huge rugby loving nation) I think what I said still stands true, dont try and make out what I said was dumbfounded. Launchbury is highly regarded in England as your best and most promising lock, Eben shined against England in last years June series as an un-tested player. Yep, good one.

shezza thank you fo rcorrecting the oaks and of course the comments re Bekker are absurd. No person in their right mind today will not realise how daft it was to play wee matfield 106 kg before Bekker!!

@Shezza are you a pom or something...?

 Horwill over Etzebeth........what a bloody laugh. 

anyday...

What a joke

 No I'm South African, just living here in the UK. Reds might want to venture out of your cave if you think Bekker was shown up and think Timani would've gotten 'smashed' by Timani....

France and tend to do better against SH opposition than Wales.

Sharkbok, I've often noticed you share the same opinion as the Kiwi's and Aussie's and are often the first doom sayer with regards to the Boks. Think I'll rename you Sharkoak.

Ah, so you live in Wales, Shezza, that would explain a lot. And the word would be shone not shined.

Wales may be a part of Britain and it may regard Etzebeth highly, but that doesn't mean the rest of Britain thinks the same. Wales has a habit of making Gods of men, some of us aren't so stupid.

Launchbury is a decent player who will, hopefully, have a decent future ahead of him. Like Etzebeth.

See, some of us don't make wild claims about players being the greatest or the best or the scariest and ooh just the hardest men to have walked the planet. We just like to watch our Rugby and enjoy it.

It's quite simple really.

Horwill > EE.  Agree with redsman here. I currently live in WA so the Force (unfortunately) are my second team. McMeniman has been HUGE (Shame about injury)

Selecting any lock over Etzebeth is a complete joke and I'm not saying that because I am a Saffa........its much the same with selecting any flyhalf over Carter, or any inside centre over SBW last year.......some calls are just so obvious.

As for Etzebeth in the UK, every Englishman I know thinks the guy is a freak and that the boundaries are endless for him. The kids playing lock want to be like him. The U16 lock I have that is in the England U16 side has Etzebeth as his model player.

 Saffex big difference between dan carter and Elizabeth... Clearly one has won lots... And one has made a big hit on Bismarck and that's it.... Horwill much more complete player and he's won stuf... Elizabeth maybe in 3 yrs time be worthy of the status u one eyed Saffas are given him. I agree he's got potential and looks good but results r lacking full stop. 

 Further as for poms role model.... Mate the poms are whingers. That's about the only thing they've ever been consistently good at. Rely on foreigners for their cricket team. And had one good RWC win with johnny w deadeye and Martin Johnson who incidentally was a good lock....why cause he won stuff....

addedum re below comment by saffex re poms being whingers... The only people I love stirring more than kiwis are poms... why..? they love it...

Red, pretty naive to define a 21 year old based on what he has won, especially considering rugby is a 15 man game. Holwill is a good player, but Etzebeth is far better and will go down as a far more influential player. He is big already, he does not need 3 years. In 3 years time he will have surpassed anything achieved by an international lock.

Your take on Poms is pathetic and ignorant. As for Johnson, actually he was a very ordinary rugby player. Big and imposing with little skill. He had presence, but I never rated him as a player.

Het reds youar fa rto occupied by Etzebeth. Its understandable but do you realise before you play agains the boks andyournightmate Etzebeth  you have a meeting with the Lions.

Becs what is the mood in the UK etc. Do they really belive they can beat OZ. Reds and company are pining their hopes on Fool au which maybe risky. Personally I beleive Oz is going to be stronger than for some years in the backs. The pack will be solid too but it is here the Lions will need to get on top if thye hope to win.

How do oyu rate the lions backs? Will lions defence be good. Man this should be a good series. The dramtic improvement in Oz Super 15 franchises show Oz are up for it. Polynesian talent will also lift them.

In answer to your question, Beeno, I think it depends on who you ask !

Personally, I am as wary as ever about any upcoming Tour or International matches. I know other supporters seem to think the Lions are dead certs for a Series win, I disagree.

The coming weekends are crucial as we are heading into the Finals of our Tournaments this Season and a lot of players are going to be involved, so the Coaches will be hoping that no-one gets injured.

A lot hinges on the style of play the Lions adopt. If they play to the systems that Gatland has Wales play to, and which they have used in the 9 times they have faced Australia during his tenure as Coach, Australia won't be too scared ; having only lost once. He's also made some bizarre selections and not really selected a lot of players on form, which we all knew would be the case.

Jonathan Sexton is the key really. If he plays as well as we all know he can, then he can spark something, as well as kicking his goals and controlling the game. But if he doesn't ? I think we all know the outcome !

All I will say is that most people I know don't think Warburton is the correct Captain nor do they have much hope for a successful Series.

Clearly, I hope I'm wrong.