South Africa only announced their new captain last month but injury has forced the hand of coach Allister Coetzee. Luckily, there is a ready-made replacement for the role.
Eben Etzebeth is only 25 but he has been playing Test rugby for over five years and has amassed 57 Springbok caps since his debut against England.
Only weeks after his Test debut, Etzebeth announced himself to the wider world when he bounced international teammate Bismark Du Plessis during a Super Rugby clash:
With new captain Warren Whiteley ruled out of the opening rounds of The Rugby Championship, Coetzee has bestowed the honour on the Stormers lock. He told reporters:
“Eben did an excellent job against France in Johannesburg, when he had to step in at short notice after the late withdrawal of Warren. He enjoys the respect of his team mates and also commands respect on and off the field.”
In one of the Boks’ final training sessions before the championship kicks off, the 6-foot-8 lock was looking primed for action. The 19-inch biceps were certainly on show:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXkw4y-lkZD/?hl=en&taken-by=bokrugby
Etzebeth, as you can probably discern from his huge frame, is a demon for gym work.
He can bench-press 175 kilos and, a couple of years back, had 75 kilo dumbbells custom made to work into his routines. He is not all brawn, muscle and bulk either. The Cape Town native can regularly complete 40-metre sprints in times ranging between 5.10 and 5.20 seconds.
It is no surprise that Etzebeth was the front man, last year, for Asics’ ‘Fitter in 15’ work-out programme:
And when there are no weights in sight to lift, Etzebeth makes do…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BI5n-nLhM6o/?taken-by=ebenetzebeth4
A truck of a man but, luckily for South Africa, his talent, strength and rugby brain are even more impressive than his physique.
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