Etzebeth is new Stormers enforcer
22 Feb 2012
Rynhardt Elstadt has failed a late fitness test and will be replaced by Eben Etzebeth for the Stormers’ first Super Rugby match against the Hurricanes.
Earlier this week, the Stormers were confident that Elstadt would recover from an ankle injury to take his place in the second row. But following further testing it’s been decided that the No 4 lock won’t be risked. He will however be ready to play against the Sharks next week.
This leaves the Stormers without an established enforcer option, and coach Allister Coetzee has decided to hand Etzebeth the responsibility in his very first Super Rugby match.
‘Eben is an out-and-out No 4 lock,’ said Coetzee when asked to explain why a more seasoned second rower like De Kock Steenkamp wasn’t preferred. ‘Yes he is a youngster and often youngsters make mistakes, but he has great potential and I have no doubt that he is ready to make the step up at Super Rugby level.’
As reported on Monday, Juan de Jongh will not feature because of a jaw injury. Bryan Habana will partner Jean de Villiers in midfield, and this move opens up a space for Gerhard van den Heever on the wing.
Gary van Aswegen will start at flyhalf in the absence of Peter Grant, who is still playing rugby in Japan, and will be joined by Dewaldt Duvenage in the halfbacks.
Nick Koster will start at No 8 despite the return of regular eighthman Duane Vermeulen. Vermeulen will play blindside flank.
Coetzee added that Deon Carstens, who was recruited from Saracens in the off-season, wasn’t considered because of a lack of game time at tighthead prop. Coetzee feels that the Stormers have the right front row balance in Steven Kitshoff, Brok Harris and reserve prop Frans Malherbe at this stage of the season.
Stormers – 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Gerhard van den Heever, 13 Bryan Habana, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Gio Aplon, 10 Gary van Aswegen, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Nick Koster, 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Schalk Burger (c), 5 Andries Bekker, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Siyabonga Ntubeni, 17 Frans Malherbe, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Siya Kolisi, 20 Louis Schrueder, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Marcel Brache.
107 Comments
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22 Feb 2012, 12:29 pm
eben the enforcing dragon…!
22 Feb 2012, 12:33 pm
hell these guys better be up for this game and not take anything for granted against the hurricanes…!
22 Feb 2012, 12:34 pm
If the Canes weren’t so poor, I’d be seriously tempted to pick them for this game.
Heck, I’m still tempted to pick them.
22 Feb 2012, 12:40 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-3:
Do not threaten, please pick them.
And then after the game you can look at the fat round zero behind your name for that round on Superbru.
22 Feb 2012, 12:41 pm
I wonder what happened to Deon Carstens?
22 Feb 2012, 12:41 pm
If he really is family of Cliffie Etzebeth and plays anything like him, I really pity the Stormers’ opponents this year.
22 Feb 2012, 12:44 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-6:
Cliffie is his uncle
22 Feb 2012, 12:46 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-6:
did you see him take on heinrich in the cheetahs game…?
for a young buck it was pretty impressive… physical without losing his cool in the slightest…!!
22 Feb 2012, 12:46 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-6: Cliffie is his uncle.
22 Feb 2012, 12:46 pm
Glad Etsebeth’s been picked ahead of Steenkamp.
Also pleased Brache is on bench ahead of Poolman – provides more options.
Let’s see if Stormers can thrive without the ball-slowing/stealing abilities of Flouw and the defensive organisation skills and quality play of Mossie.
Hope Habana goes well.
Bottom line – Stormers have been given too hard a time for a team who has been consistently one of the top performers in SA conference and in Super Rugby over the last few years.
I also reckon, by the end of the competition, all other SA franchises may be envious of the Stormers’ second row stocks (Elstadt, Roux, Bekker, Etsebeth).
Then again, Sharks have Marais, Du Toit and Bresler.
Bulls have Van Der Merwe, Kruger, Steenkamp.
Lions have Greef and Botha.
Still would rather have those four Stormers players ahead of the others as tall timber though.
22 Feb 2012, 12:47 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-5:
very good question… thought he was gonna cover both sides…?
22 Feb 2012, 12:47 pm
Eben is a very solid prospect, not just for the Stormers no 4 jersey but in time for the Springboks.
Keep an eye on this guy.
22 Feb 2012, 12:48 pm
etzebeth has big shoes to fill as elstadt showed his mongrel last year manhandling bakkies with ease at loftus. at a reported 117 kg, 5kgs more than mouritz botha he is a mountain.
22 Feb 2012, 12:48 pm
Ah, ok. I have it now.
Cliffie Etzebeth is Eben Etzebeth’s uncle – Cliffie is Harry Etzebeth’s son.
Went to school at Tygerberg Hoërskool.
22 Feb 2012, 12:49 pm
Yes, it’s interesting that Ntubeni and Mahlerbe were preferred to Lewis and Carstens.
It’s pleasing to see that all SA franchises seem to be embracing youth – makes a refreshing change.
A tough worried about Stormers front row technique, but that young Kitshoff is a beast… er…ox…er…
22 Feb 2012, 12:49 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-7:
Cliffie still wrestles, in the “Masters” division.
Him and Skattie were notorious in the 70s and 80s around Goodwood/Epping/Ruyterwacht.
Just ask TheTackler
22 Feb 2012, 12:50 pm
How did the Kiwis lose that one?
See I’ve always maintained that arrogance is but a mask; as one Kiwi commentator remarked: They’re running out of ideas, the South Africans
So in the end the Proteas snatch victory from the jaws…
2 – 1 to South Africa!
Well done South Africa, again
22 Feb 2012, 12:54 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-16:
Apparently the Tackler played Darts for UCT’s 4th team and one evening after a match against Epping he bumped into Cliffie outside the hall.
He is still running, was last seen in Wellington, NZ.
22 Feb 2012, 12:56 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-12:
that he certainly is… at least we signed this young gun up… gonna serve us well in years to come…
think he will become a fan favorite too… and not just with wp fans…!
22 Feb 2012, 12:56 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-16: Cliffe won the world title a few years back I believe.
22 Feb 2012, 12:57 pm
@puff(puff)-15:
quite a few question marks over the stormers at this point…
hopefully they become exclamation marks on saturday…!!!!
22 Feb 2012, 12:57 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-12:
I agree, I reckon in two or three years’ time the Springbok locks will consistently be Etzebeth at 4 and Bekker at 5.
22 Feb 2012, 12:58 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-18: LOL you can run but you can’t hide…..
@ufo(ufo)-19: I hope so!!
22 Feb 2012, 12:59 pm
What’s with all the Cliffie love?
22 Feb 2012, 13:00 pm
Who was the stormers last enforcer?
Robbie K?
22 Feb 2012, 13:01 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-22:
stem saam…
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-23:
he has all the requisite attributes… it’s up to him to go and grab ‘it’ with both hands by the scruff of the next and not let go…!
22 Feb 2012, 13:01 pm
Why am I getting the distinct feeling that the Proteas are playing against New Zealand in India?
Is Eden Park in India?
22 Feb 2012, 13:02 pm
scruff of the neck…
22 Feb 2012, 13:05 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-22:
Elstadt at 4 and Bekker at 5 with Etzebeth on bench to cover both slots.
With Van Der Merwe, Kruger, Mostert and Du Toit – SA is well-stocked again in the lock department moving forward.
22 Feb 2012, 13:07 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-18:
Quite a bit of tragedy involved there.
Skattie was of course shot dead (he was a debt collector at the time) and one of the other brothers, Kallie, shot his wife and then himself last year.
22 Feb 2012, 13:07 pm
@ufo(ufo)-21:
Ja, is Kitshoff the real deal?
Will Liebenberg regain form he had before spate of injuries?
Will the young locks deliver consistently?
Will the loose trio manage without Flouw?
Will Van Aswegen dominate and remain injury-free?
Will Habana go well in the midfield?
Will the back three be defensively sound?
Keen to see the players provide a resounding YES to all those questions!
22 Feb 2012, 13:10 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-25:
No, Robbie K was a (relative) softy – the last real enforcers were the winefarmers Schalk B senior, Boland Coetzee and Hempies du Toit. Oh yes, Gert Smal and Theuns Stoffberg too.
TV refs and red cards spoiled it all.
22 Feb 2012, 13:11 pm
Maybe he’s got the temperament of an enforcer but I don’t know about the bulk. Even on the temperament side, I don’t think he would have the street smarts yet at his age. Sounds a bit like wishful thinking to me.
22 Feb 2012, 13:12 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-32:
Don’t forget Morné.
22 Feb 2012, 13:12 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-24:
huh..?..
ek dog jy hou graag van n man wie sy man kan staan…?
van arms wat n slag kan slaan…
22 Feb 2012, 13:12 pm
@puff(puff)-29:
Yes that is one good unintended consequence of crime in this country – we develop locks
22 Feb 2012, 13:15 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-30:
That is tragic. I knew about Skattie (real name was Chris) but not about Kallie. I think there were about 6 brothers but Cliffie and Skattie were the most notorious, specially Skattie who was the real troublemaker.
One can probably write a book about their (mis)adventures.
22 Feb 2012, 13:16 pm
@welcome to my life, hugh…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-35:
Ek hou van ‘n man wat sy man kan staan,
ek hou van ‘n arm wat ‘n slag kan slaan,
‘n oog wat nie wyk, wat ‘n bars kan kyk
en ‘n wil wat so vas soos ‘n klipsteen staan!
22 Feb 2012, 13:16 pm
Man… this makes me excited for the S15. Every year we Stormers fans say “Maybe this year…” and it’s so nice for a change to be able to admit that we have no chance this year and with the pressure off it’s all about looking ahead and with guys like Etsebeth, Carr, Kolisi, Kitshoff, Van Aswegan and Schreuder in the Match 22 I’m feeling good. For the first time in a while Stormers selections are looking beyond the 80 minutes.
22 Feb 2012, 13:20 pm
Goodness me, that is a mediocre bench.
22 Feb 2012, 13:21 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-38:
Ek sien CJ van der Linde se gediggie maak ‘n heavy come-back
22 Feb 2012, 13:23 pm
@puff(puff)-31:
and that’s not all of them…
but yeah… let’s hope the guys stand up and front up on saturday…!!
22 Feb 2012, 13:23 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-32:
spot on rob…
22 Feb 2012, 13:24 pm
@Robzim(Robzim)-37:
There were six brothers – Cliffie, Skattie, Koos, Harry, Jan, Allie and Callie.
Skattie was shot dead in 1993 in Belhar while debt-collecting. Skattie had shortly before become a “born-again” Christian and had apparently stopped drinking and smoking.
22 Feb 2012, 13:26 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-44:
Oops, seven brothers in total.
22 Feb 2012, 13:26 pm
@willievz(willievz)-40:
ja ja ja ja…
mediocre bench… mediocre team… mediocre coach… mediocre jersey…
we get it…!!
22 Feb 2012, 13:28 pm
Robbo Kempson was the real deal.
Ask the boks of his era.
He liked to settle things with an open handed poesklap that would rearrange your plums.
22 Feb 2012, 13:28 pm
@grunk(grunk)-33:
check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2CgVJu4g4U&feature=context&context=G268a598AUAAAAAAABAA
at the 5:55 minute mark…
22 Feb 2012, 13:32 pm
@Tarlo(Tarlo)-39:
yeah man…
exactly how i feel too…!
22 Feb 2012, 13:33 pm
This is a very strong team. I like the look of that backline. With Bekker, Vermeulen, Burger and Etzebeth in the forwards the Hurricanes dont stand a chance! Stormers by 25!
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