Ex Keo
Eben Etzebeth was sitting exhausted in the Loftus change-room celebrating with his Stormers teammates when a team management member told him he had become a Springbok – and he reacted by bursting into tears.
“I have to admit that a few tears went down my face when I was told I was in the squad, it was unbelievable news,” said Etzebeth, who is just 20 years of age and hadn’t even played Super Rugby before the start of the current season.
“Saturday was definitely the best day of my rugby life. To beat the Bulls at Loftus was awesome, a truly awesome feeling, and then afterwards to be told you have realised your dream of becoming a Springbok. Well, it was just unbelieveable. It was an emotional day for all of us, we really had to dig deep to win against the Bulls, and we were exhausted but very happy.”
Etzebeth was playing in the backline for one of the lower teams at Tygerberg High just a few seasons ago. Although born into a rugby family – his uncles Cliffie and Skattie were legendary figures in Western Cape rugby in a previous era – and filled with the burning ambition to make a success of the game, that did not look likely before former Springbok lock Hennie Bekker visited Tygerberg to help the first team three years ago.
Bekker, now in charge of youth rugby at WP and the father of Etzebeth’s regular lock partner, Andries Bekker, has recounted how he spotted Etzebeth and took up a role in charting his career.
“I was helping the first team at Tygerberg when I spotted this really big guy running with the backs in one of the lower teams on another field,” recalls Bekker.
“I asked the guys who the big fellow was and they told me he was one of the Etzebeths, and I called him over. I told him to come to the WP Elite Squad sessions that I ran every week, but told him that he had to make a promise to me that he would be completely committed and would work hard. He made that promise. He also promised that he would stop messing around in the backs and become only a lock after that.”
Etzebeth’s rise from there was quite meteoric, and he quickly progressed to a point where he could nail down a spot in the WP Craven Week team and from there he furthered his rugby development by attending the WP Institute in Stellenbosch.
“I knew that if he worked hard he would make it big as he has all the attributes. He is very quick for his size and has great skills,” said Bekker.
Etzebeth periodically wore a No 5 on his back when he played in the WP junior level teams and for UCT in the Varsity Cup, but he says he has always filled the role of a No 4.
“Being a No 4 lock is about always being confrontational and having attitude. I suppose you could say it is about being the enforcer, and it is a role that I like,” said Etzebeth.
If, as anticipated, he is selected for Saturday’s first test against England at Kings Park, he will be fitting into the boots vacated by the legendary Bakkies Botha, and also filling the role that the former Bulls player performed for so many years. However, he says he hasn’t modeled himself on Botha and doesn’t intend becoming a Botha clone.
“I want to do my own thing and don’t want to be like anybody else,” he said.
Etzebeth is being closely guided and his progress monitored at the Stormers by forwards coach Matthew Proudfoot, who has said that he would like Etzebeth to become a lock who is capable of playing both at No 4 and No 5, with Proudfoot saying in a recent magazine interview that the rugby public have yet to see the full extent of Etzebeth’s abilities.
“He is actually a superb lineout jumper, he has great ability there, but at the Stormers, because we have so seldom been shut down (when Bekker and Duane Vermeulen are playing), we haven’t needed to use him that much as yet,” said Proudfoot.
Etzebeth said he is looking forward to the challenge of taking on more responsibility as he gains more experience.
“That is true, we are working towards that, but at this stage I don’t know when I am going to be given the task of running the lineout,” said Etzebeth.
The big lock is deceptively fast for a big man and has enough pace to play loose-forward should it be required. (Now you are talking - hahahahaha man we are in a position to crunch those puny nz oaks!!)
“I did a lot of sprinting when I was at school and I don’t think I have lost that pace,” he said.
As a new kid on the block in Super Rugby, Etzebeth is not well acquainted yet with the players from the other franchises. However he was already fitting in well when he spoke to Supersport.com at the team hotel in Umhlanga Rocks on Sunday.
“Fortunately my friends Siya Kolisi and Frans Malherbe have joined the squad for the learning experience, so that helps, but so far everyone has been very welcoming. We are not talking about this past weekend of Super Rugby, we are all looking forward to the challenge we face as teammates against England.”
Surely a great in the making. He and Roux could be our lock combo. A tremendous Bok pack is in the making the likes of which we have not seen for years.
