Etzebeth’s making giant strides
8 Jun 2012
GAVIN RICH, writing in SA Rugby magazine, looks back at Eben Etzebeth’s rapid transformation from average schoolboy centre to Stormers’ second-row star.
The day after the news of Rassie Erasmus’s resignation as Western Province senior professional coach broke, a gaggle of Cape journalists were gathered on the touchline of the Hermanus Primary School rugby field, watching the Stormers sweat in the mid-January heat.
It says something for Eben Etzebeth’s physique that he was able to deflect the conversation away from the Erasmus saga.
‘Hey, who the hell is that monster? That one over there, the one who looks like a superhero?’ asked one hack.
It didn’t require more than a second glance to recognise the big fellow as one of the stars of the UCT Varsity Cup triumph from the previous year. But, perhaps because Etzebeth was wearing a vest, or maybe because injury had prevented him from playing more than a bit part in the WP U21 campaign in 2011, it did look at that first sighting of 2012 as though he had bulked up considerably.
Get the latest issue of SA Rugby magazine for just R5.95 (digital edition)
‘Superhero would be a good description of him; he does have an amazingly proportioned physique,’ agrees WP U21 coach John Dobson. ‘In fact, his biceps are something of a talking point around him. They’re massive and when we have fines meetings we make him show them off as a party trick. He is just ridiculously strong.’
Indeed, and a few days later he was reminding us that he could play a bit too.
His first game for the Stormers was the pre-season friendly against Boland in Wellington, and the force with which he hit the rucks bolstered the impression that the Stormers had indeed uncovered a superhero.
Among the memorable early Etzebeth moments was when he drove a Lions player back several metres in the pre-season game at Newlands, something which by the time Super Rugby had arrived was becoming a regular occurrence. Few young locks have smashed their way as emphatically into the frame in their first season as Etzebeth has.
‘It was incredible to watch Eben make his debut for the Stormers; he had absolutely no trouble making the step up and it was as if he had been there for years,’ says Steph Nel, who was responsible for guiding Etzebeth through his year at the WP Rugby Institute in 2010. ‘It was a huge debut and he was such a presence on the field that it was hard to believe he had undergone an almost overnight transformation from age-group player to Super Rugby star.’
It is fairly well known that Etzebeth is a member of the Etzebeth clan that became part of WP rugby folklore in a previous era. Eben’s uncles Cliffie and Skattie were responsible for terrorising many an opposing player and there is seldom a rugby gathering in the Cape where at least one story about the exploits of the legendary tough men is not told.
But growing up in Goodwood and attending one of the less fashionable schools had its drawbacks, and had it not been for former Springbok lock Hennie Bekker spotting Etzebeth’s giant form while helping out at a training session at Tygerberg High in 2008, the Stormers would not now be benefiting from Etzebeth’s thunderous contributions.
‘I was preparing to coach the Tygerberg 1st XV when I saw this massive bloke running on the other field with the B or C team,’ recalls Bekker, who is in charge of WP’s youth development and the general manager at their School of Excellence. ’I was told he was one of the Etzebeths. I was immediately interested, particularly because he was such a massive physical specimen. But he was playing centre, and had also played wing. He was just messing around in the backline. He didn’t appear to be taking his rugby particularly seriously. He seemed to enjoy the game without having any expectation.
‘I called him over and we had a chat. I invited him to attend my WP elite squad training sessions. He was in Grade 11 at the time. I told him he had to make a pact with me that he would work really hard, otherwise he would just be wasting my time. I also told him he would have to switch to lock and that would be the only position he would play from then on.’
Etzebeth made the promise and Bekker reckons he more than delivered on it.
‘I was immediately impressed with his dedication. He seemed determined to make something out of the opportunity he was being offered. There was no doubt from the outset that he had immense raw promise,’ recalls Bekker. ‘He had all the attributes for a lock in terms of strength, but he was also very skilful, probably because he started out playing in the backs. For a big guy he was surprisingly athletic. Most importantly, there was a hardness that I liked.’
Given the reputation built up by his uncles in their years playing club rugby in the province, it would be understandable if there was an expectation that the young Etzebeth would be a chip off the old block. Jacques Hanekom, chief executive of the WP Rugby Institute, has detected that there is a tendency for people to assume that Etzebeth will be a wild man.
‘People expect him to be a loose cannon but that is not the case at all. When he was at the institute we had no problems with him on or off the field,’ says Hanekom. ‘In actual fact he’s quite calculated on the field. He thinks about what he is doing; he has the right mixture of calculation and aggression. I don’t foresee him becoming like Bakkies Botha in terms of running into disciplinary problems later on in his career.
‘When he was with us he was a reserved kid, you could almost say he was quite shy, but he was extremely focused and dedicated. When a kid comes to us he has to tick certain boxes related to performance and attitude on and off the field. Eben ticked them all. We knew we were working with the full Monty.’
Bekker concurs with Hanekom’s view, saying that he is sure Etzebeth will be one of those who keeps his feet on the ground regardless of how quickly he progresses through the ranks.
‘In his matric year he played for WP Schools. That was 2009, just one year after he was moved to lock. But through that he remained very level-headed, and he knows his progress has been down to sheer hard work. When he was injured last year he worked hard on bulking up, and this year we are seeing the results.’
One of his uncles, Allie, remembers Eben as a sports-mad kid who through his years at Goodwood Park Primary School and later at Tygerberg always seemed to have a ball in his hand and was constantly playing or practising sport.
‘He was a good athlete, excelling in the 100m and 200m, but rugby was always a big passion in the family after what Cliffie and Skattie achieved as players,’ says Allie.
‘He was really fast for a big guy, and that was why he played centre and wing for most of his school career. He was one heck of a difficult guy to stop when he had the ball in his hand. He was always such a pleasant kid too, and he has a real soft heart. The Bulls and the Sharks were keen to get him to sign with them. They made good offers, but Eben decided he wanted to stay in Cape Town and look after his mom.’
When Etzebeth attended the WP Rugby Institute he was part of what Nel called the institution’s master class.
‘I remember saying once before that Francois Hougaard was the cream of what we produced in terms of natural attributes and professional attitude. But in 2010 we had several players who were all in the same category as Hougaard,’ says Nel.
‘Eben, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe, Nizaam Carr, Scarra Ntubeni … we had a phenomenal pack of forwards and they all have something special about them. Eben still had to mature but he had fantastic results in all the tests we conducted on him. The only problem I can recall is that he was just so damn big that it was impossible for the other guys to pick him up in the lineouts.’
Funnily enough, Etzebeth’s size has been responsible for the one small headache that his elevation to Super Rugby has caused for Stormers forward coach Matt Proudfoot.
‘I’ve had to work with Eben on a few things at scrum time as it is never easy to get a guy who stands over 2m tall to fit easily into a scrum unit. He has a lot of body that needs to be put into position,’ says Proudfoot.
But that small problem aside, you won’t hear Proudfoot complaining about the size in the Stormers second row, where Andries Bekker also stands over 2m tall. Proudfoot sees the ease with which Etzebeth has adapted to senior rugby as a triumph for the systems that have been put in place at WP since 2008.
‘Eben has been coming to the High Performance Centre for quite a while now so it’s not a new environment for him and it has helped him fit comfortably into the top team.’
Proudfoot sounded an ominous warning to future Etzebeth opponents who might think they were seeing anything close to the finished product.
‘There is so much more he still has to show us. For a start we haven’t really had to use him in the lineout. He is an outstanding lineout forward and when there is a game when Duane [Vermeulen] and Andries are shut down we will see the full extent of his repertoire. He is also going to come more into his own as a ball-carrier. He is an awesome athlete.
‘He’s growing in confidence, which is the result of being backed in the pre-season and playing in all the warm-up games. As a young player he had to be physically up to the challenge. He went through that barrier and it enabled him to prove to himself that he could not only survive at senior level but also excel there. One of the great things about him is that he is proactive in his decision-making.’
Etzebeth has played all his rugby for the Stormers as what old-timers would call a front lock, but he played his junior rugby in the No 5 jersey.
‘He can play No 4 and No 5, but he is not a light jolly jumper-type player that has become the norm in modern rugby,’ says Dobson. ‘Matt is working hard on getting him to be a fusion of the two. Not many locks can be both. Eben is not as dirty as some locks who fulfil the role he does but he is also no angel. Let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t like to cross him on the field. In fact, I wouldn’t play against him at all. He’s scary.’
– This article first appeared in the May issue of SA Rugby magazine.
631 Comments
Pages: « 1 … 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 [12] 13 » Show All
8 Jun 2012, 22:23 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-541: missaginists?
you clearly skipped some classes cloaca queen.
8 Jun 2012, 22:28 pm
@victoriabok(victoriabok)-550: So… I get the Victoria with Bok now… Not Oz but Canadian…
They quite like their rugby… still small though?
Been there long… Enjoying it?
Farken must get hellish cold…
8 Jun 2012, 22:28 pm
I see some brekers seriously take themselves kinda seriously round here
If England can hold up their part of the forwards bargain, I reckon they got a better back line than us starting at half back and missing out their plodder Barritt, their 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, probably all as good or better than ours.. only at 12 are we more or less on par..
So it all boils around the front 8 where at 1-3 England will have parity maybe slightly stronger, 4-5 SA should boss, and at back row I reckon if its a slow tight encounter England will have more low key muscle in Johnson, Robshaw, Morgan than Coetsee, Alberts and Spies.
Under JdV Boks should dominate.. that is the one decision Meyer has actually made a huge amount of headway on.. by picking De Villiers to captain. (which is what PdV should have done about 4 years ago) Meyer has given himself at least a 20% head start.
The rest falls into place more or less by default.. so long as front 8 can hold it together enough, in spite of Englands creative and strong running backs, with slightly better halfbacks than SA have… Boks should get home here reasonably comfortably…
8 Jun 2012, 22:29 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-551:
> cloaca queen.
Wat bedoel jy, ‘n agtermekaar kêrel?
8 Jun 2012, 22:31 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-551: Careful Dangerman… I might have finally actually pushed some of these poor fools over the edge today …
Hellsteeth, been getting Love letters nearly 1000 words long…
Tender loving care may needed….
HellNO!!!
8 Jun 2012, 22:35 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-551:
My mother was a domestic. I never went to school past grade 7. But grew up playing rugby in the streets. Not ashamed.
8 Jun 2012, 22:36 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-552:
> They quite like their rugby… still small though?
Their guys are quite big but they’re not as hard as our guys (like Bakkies or Etzebeth)
The big sport is hockey, most guys would rather play in the NHL
> Been there long… Enjoying it?
Three years, from Pretoria to Victoria
Yes and no, still not “jou mense” you know, die Kanadose have no sense of humor
> Farken must get hellish cold…
No not at all, the mildest weather in Canada, much like Cape Town, dry, hot summer with loong days (it starts to get light at 04:30 and gets dark at 21:30) but the winters are wet and grey
We seldom get any snow, mostly just rain and overcast for days on end
Actually all my Saffa friends are from the Cape, hard watching rugby with them, I’m the only Bulls supporter
8 Jun 2012, 22:37 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-555:
You sound like the overweight pervert from Woman with the Dragon Tattoo. Ugly, violent and very poorly dressed. Couldn’t pomp a penguin in Moullie Point. Weg is jy, breker.
8 Jun 2012, 22:38 pm
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-553: Said that yesterday already…
Jean is a good choice for now… But could be a fleeting Cappie of convenience… Definitely not the same leadership aura as Barney and Victor though.
The 20% head start is all Heyneke… That is what will be the difference… Between the last regime and Der Kaiser.
Only thing I’m worried about is the Boks coming out blitzing a 20 point lead and then taking foot off the gas…
8 Jun 2012, 22:45 pm
Only thing in boks favour is playing at home and there are several key England injuries – but watch their squat no 8 make mincemeant of spies en plesier, after u sir, tryline too…
8 Jun 2012, 22:48 pm
@victoriabok(victoriabok)-557: Meant the popularity of Rugger with “small”… Aggressive buggers though it seems… Not shy of some hows the uncle as we have seen in RWCs since 95… 91 even. Ice Hockey heritage must contribute…
Been to a few Ice Hockey games?
Weather sounds pretty good… Surprising that its that mild…
“Kanadose”… lol… I find its always been good for me to really immerse yourself and try not just stay in the Ghetto with Saffas… No communication or humour differences cant be solved or bridged with a few beers… or more.
Beers, Sport, Women… Man’s international points of convergence… In that orde
8 Jun 2012, 22:49 pm
@victoriabok(victoriabok)-554: @Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-555: well i just came on to wish the boks well and have to read kuk like keurboomtrailerparks nonsies.
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-556: whats your point?
you wanna hear my little sob story?
in some places in the world, people are proud of their jobs, ANY JOB. you just insulted your mom, not nice.
8 Jun 2012, 22:49 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-558: Sheezus… You trying hard.
8 Jun 2012, 22:50 pm
@cab(cab)-560: “Spies en plesier”
8 Jun 2012, 22:51 pm
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-553:
> I reckon they got a better back line than us starting at half back and missing out their plodder Barritt, their 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, probably all as good or better than ours.. only at 12 are we more or less on par..
I hope Heyneke allows Hougaard to play his natural game and not the poor imitation of FdP game FL makes him play, if he does he’ll challenge their defence around the scrums and rucks
A fit Frans Steyn would also give us the backline edge
With Spies it’s going to be reg-of-weg, Heyneke likes players with heart and he won’t be able to go invisible like he always does.
Heyneke said “Ballroom dancing is a contact sport, rugby is an impact sport” and if Spies stays scared his Bok days are over
8 Jun 2012, 22:52 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-562:
I am proud of her. She owns a shop now, and she sponsors our womens rugby team. You rich people are przuming. People read this and get it.
8 Jun 2012, 22:53 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-563:
you too, pielneus.
8 Jun 2012, 22:56 pm
Pielneus… Gdam cracker … Sounds better than cocknose ekse.
8 Jun 2012, 22:57 pm
Smit is the absolute Worst Bok captain of all time.. go check his real stats apart from his lucky packet waltz through Princes Park in 2007 against absolutely NOBODY.. Smit has the distinguished degree of losing 49-0 and of losing 7 from 10 tests in 2006-2007 Tri Nations and then repeating the feat of captaining Boks to 8 from 10 losses in tri nations 2010-2011
Beside this he has one the worst Bok captains records on Eoyt’s losing 3 times to Ireland on tour, never beating them in Ireland only here, and every time to France…
John Smit was the absolute WORST bok captain of all time.. PdV made one mammoth mistake riding his humpback all the way from 2007 WC to 2011.. check his results.. and then you see exactly why Boks were so dire the past few years under Smit.
JdV should have been Bok captain LONG time ago and we would not have lost plenty of the games we capitulated under Smit..
Making JdV captain is ACTUALLY the one feather in Heyneke’s cap thus far.. that is actually going to be his saving grace.. Just imagine Heyneke had made Matfield or FdP or Spies his captain.. I can guarantee he would have been smacked to smithereens right out the goddamn park if that had been the case.
Picking JdV as cappy is ACTUALLY the one decision that gonna save Heynekes rigid back.
8 Jun 2012, 22:59 pm
Get your hand off it twatface – smit lifted tge goue beker – only problem with smit is tge dmfks ego got in the way 6 months too late
8 Jun 2012, 23:00 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-567: Hehe… Where’s KeurboomPark?
Or is that some sort of code for displaying your no doubt ample wares, fettie?
8 Jun 2012, 23:01 pm
@cab(cab)-568:
8 Jun 2012, 23:04 pm
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-569: Barney did alright…
RWC… Tick
BI Lions… Tick
Tri Nations… Tick
Currie Cup… Tick
Not to mention Captaining the BaaBaas just last week in a rare Capped international against Wales…
JdV not even close… Never will be…
But am behind him tomorrow… 1st Captain of the New Heyneke Era… and certainly not the last.
8 Jun 2012, 23:05 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-571:
Where the kids who waited for their dad’s would play and hear the roar of Newlands. Sausage rolls and Oros. Sardines and vetkoek. God’s country. Where women are women and sharks are nervous.
8 Jun 2012, 23:05 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-556: slat die donnerse soutie pielneuse in hulle kleinkont moere in .. wie die fok dink die swaertjies hulle holle stink so soet, omdat hulle’s in die pylvak van hulle intelligente opvoeding ingedruk.
8 Jun 2012, 23:06 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-561:
> Aggressive buggers though it seems… Not shy of some hows the uncle as we have seen in RWCs since 95… 91 even. Ice Hockey heritage must contribute…
Yes, my mate’s son was coached by one of the main fighters in the battle of Boet Erasmus with Dalton and co in 1995
> Been to a few Ice Hockey games?
Yes, it’s fast but we haven’t played it so you don’t have the bond like you do with rugby or cricket which you’ve played as a kid
> Weather sounds pretty good… Surprising that its that mild…
Not too bad at all, seeing that it’s an island also. Lots of Brits live here too, it’s British Columbia after all, they always say “Victoria is more British than Brittain”
> I find its always been good for me to really immerse yourself and try not just stay in the Ghetto with Saffas… No communication or humour differences cant be solved or bridged with a few beers… or more.
They’re not too bad, it depends where they’re from too, the guys from the Prairies are very friendly and the guys from Newfoundland are the best to drink with.
> Beers, Sport, Women… Man’s international points of convergence… In that orde
Beer, they do brew a lot of different beer, although it’s mostly Ales
Sport, Hockey and then the rest of the North American sports
Women*, a bit beefier than ours, some with British teeth and mostly either butch or bitchy or both, ann not as refined either
*-Nothing come close to our girls, have a beer in Brooklyn Mall on a friday afternoon and you’ll see
Why do you call her the Bashee, does she scream at you a lot?
8 Jun 2012, 23:09 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-571:
> Where’s KeurboomPark?
Waar jy die beste Boom koop?
8 Jun 2012, 23:09 pm
Only reason why the game might be close is because England has played some games together
Mahler, is Currie Cup
Dan Cole has had a chance before and did nothing
Hartley struggles with lineouts and scrums
Botha runs a bit and maybe their best tight 5 player
Ben Morgan is OK, but not 80 minutes, way too fat
8 Jun 2012, 23:10 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-574: You mean women are men… Surely… And the men… Well they are the Pride of Cape Town…
PS… What position do you play in your “women’s Rugby” team, TrailerPark?
8 Jun 2012, 23:10 pm
@victoriabok(victoriabok)-577: Next to Plettenbergbay
8 Jun 2012, 23:11 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-579:
Hooker?
8 Jun 2012, 23:13 pm
@louis schropnel(louis shrapnel)-575:
is ja, my blaar. die HG naaikop sal sy gat sien as ek hom op clifton sien. conkreet boots innie Thames vir al daai verraiers wat dink hulles die Earle se Kort.
8 Jun 2012, 23:15 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-579:
Every position. Dont you know us Cape girls, sekkie?
8 Jun 2012, 23:16 pm
@victoriabok(victoriabok)-576: Awesome your laaitie can get to play rugger there.
“Women*, a bit beefier than ours, some with British teeth and mostly either butch or bitchy or both, ann not as refined either”… Classic
Yeah man… These Boeremeisies in Pretoria are absolute stunners… Could not believe my farken eyes at the quantity and quality… Still cant… SA’s best kept secret.
Banshee… She’s an English Rose… without the flower part at times… Just farken thorns… But then again I sometimes deserve it… Can be a naughtyshit.
8 Jun 2012, 23:17 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-566: k uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuk.
you are trying to emotionally blackmail me by saying your mom had to work.
toughies.
thats life.
anyway, i have no squabble with you, byegones miss sadsack.
8 Jun 2012, 23:18 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-584:
you are a male chauvinis pig. you rooineks really raped a lot of locals on your world tour. you disgust me.
8 Jun 2012, 23:19 pm
@victoriabok(victoriabok)-581: Yeah…lol
8 Jun 2012, 23:19 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-573:
Barney the great skipper
Yeah pull the other one
Tri Nations – FAIL
2006 – 2007
Played 10 – Lost 7 – Won 3
Totals
Points scored 172 – conceded 288 (including that magnificent 49-0)
Tries scored 16 – conceded 27
Differences
Points -116
Tries -11
2010 – 2011
Played 10 – Lost 8 – Won 2
Totals
Points scored 201- conceded 292
Tries scored 16 – conceded 35
Differences
Points -91
Tries -19
Worst Bok captain in 3N competition of ALL time..
if JdV comes ANYWHERE close to that disaster I will wanna shoot him myself.
Eoyt’s – FAIL
You want I dissect those great performances as well ?
8 Jun 2012, 23:20 pm
Oh and Youngs does a tap and go every single time
Farrell, good kicker at posts, but not from far out at all, no distance
Tuiagi will be a yellow or a penalty for the way he tackles
Barrett , the English version of Wynand Olivier
8 Jun 2012, 23:22 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-585:
n o blackmail. just wanna keep it straight. my people want to connect and blog. Go Bokke! Klap it with Klippies!
8 Jun 2012, 23:22 pm
I have to say, JDV is a very good captain
Gets results and gets the team to perform
8 Jun 2012, 23:23 pm
586 kom nou keurboom wat is verkeed met n bietjie vernekery?
8 Jun 2012, 23:24 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-583: The only ones I know of, carry a toolbox of sorts… As a result I sort of understand your manne batting for the other side….
Every position… Shew… You do know tighthead is not a b.lowjob and neither does fullback mean automatically assume the roast chicken position, hey?
8 Jun 2012, 23:24 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-586: HG he has a point
Opium pushing slave traders who are actually responsible for many issues in the world
8 Jun 2012, 23:26 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-584:
> Yeah man… These Boeremeisies in Pretoria are absolute stunners… Could not believe my farken eyes at the quantity and quality… Still cant… SA’s best kept secret.
They say Bloem also has pretty girls, I saw a few at Loftus for the CC finals and they were plenty mooi
> Banshee… She’s an English Rose… without the flower part at times… Just farken thorns… But then again I sometimes deserve it… Can be a naughtyshit.
They only grow thorns AFTER you marry them and then they bliksem you too!
8 Jun 2012, 23:26 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-586: Ja… The RooiRose really fakkedup in New Zealand… Did you see that Hotel Maid? Fark the boys must have been beer blind
8 Jun 2012, 23:26 pm
Tomorrow will relatively close, the next test the Pomss will get a pasting
8 Jun 2012, 23:27 pm
@KeurboomPark(KeurboomPark)-586:
But you get paid for it
8 Jun 2012, 23:28 pm
@cab(cab)-592:
nixie. ek likes it baaie. maar die kerel is vol draad.
8 Jun 2012, 23:30 pm
English roses, duitse meisies – geen verskil. Ontploffing materiaal. Ooh fk.
Pages: « 1 … 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 [12] 13 » Show All
Have your say
You must be logged in to post a comment.