At the ripe age of 33, Eben Etzebeth is nowhere near ready to hang up his boots or pass on his iconic Springbok No 4 jersey. The towering lock, speaking from Nelspruit where the Boks are gearing up to face Georgia, exudes a hunger for the game that belies his veteran status. With 133 caps under his belt, Etzebeth's competitive fires are burning fiercer than ever.
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'I want to wear that No 4 jersey in the green and gold as many times as possible,'
he declared, shrugging off any suggestion of stepping aside. 'The competitive spirit is still strong in me – I’m not giving up my place. I want to be in the team for as long as possible.'"While the clock ticks on for every athlete, Etzebeth dismisses any talk of retirement, focusing instead on the here and now. "
'I’m not thinking about playing until a certain year – I’m just going to keep pushing. The key is staying fit and avoiding injury, because recovery is harder as you get older.'
He reflects on the unpredictable nature of sports careers, noting, 'The curtain falls for everyone. It came early for [prop] Steven Kitshoff, but that was due to injury – it could have happened when he was 24.'Since debuting for the Springboks in 2012, Etzebeth has been a pivotal figure in the team's dynamic decade. Even as he transitions into a mentoring role, the growth of younger players fuels his drive. "Every year the younger guys are just bigger, better and faster. Players like Salmaan Moerat and Ruan Nortje are already world class. They push me to improve – and that’s the way it should be."
As Eben Etzebeth faces down his next opponent with the same steely gaze that has become his trademark, it's clear that the giant of South African rugby isn't ready to be relegated to the sidelines just yet. His legacy is still being written, one bone-crushing tackle and lineout steal at a time.