Read the following and t hen tell me what yu think about his usage:-
Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith offered some tips on how his teammate, André Esterhuizen, can improve his game as a hybrid player.
Esterhuizen has made a couple of appearances for the Boks as a flanker so far this season.
His first was as a replacement during an international friendly against the Barbarians, and the other against Italy when he shifted to the side of the scrum following Jasper Wiese’s red card.
The bulky 114-kilogram centre seamlessly slotted into the No.6 role.
Depending on the match situation, he could be utilised in the same capacity against Argentina this Saturday at Kings Park.
“I’ve known Andre [Esterhuizen] for a long time.
“We actually played Sevens together. He was a tighthead [prop] and I was a hooker, so we played together in the forwards.
“He’s got the size and physicality, and he is massive.
“The only area he could get a little better at is the technical stuff in the set-pieces, that’s about it.
“We as loose forwards play with width in our attacking structure, and on defence we defend on the outside channels.
“That’s not a big difference for him shifting from centre to loose forward.
“The only areas he could be better in are in the line-outs and scrums, but I must add he’s been quite good at it.
“He’s used every opportunity in unit sessions and in training to do [line-out] lifts and other work when he trains at No.6.
“If he needs to play there, he will definitely be comfortable doing so, and it will be quite exciting to see.”
Kwagha left out a major problem St Esterhuizen has - he ahs no idea about ball protection at nreadowns and cannot turn over balls in such situations.
My guess is he wil be used as a flank and not allowed anywhere near the number 12 position.