When it comes to commitment, few other South African sportsmen or women can match Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, who, win or lose, “leaves it all on the park” when he dons the green-and-gold.
No surprise, then, that he has been named South Africa’s Rugby Player of the Year for 2022, in the year when he played his 100th Test for his country.
The 31-year-old was up against some fierce competition from Bok colleagues Siya Kolisi, Lukhanyo Am, Frans Malherbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse for the top award.
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Etzebeth is often on the field from start to finish, putting in fearsome tackles, inspiring the engine room of the Bok scrum and showing a surprising turn of speed for a man-mountain.
Critics overseas often cite him as the thuggish face of South African rugby, perhaps because he reminds them of the awesome paring of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield of days of yore. Bottom line: they wish they had this muscle and athleticism.
Etzebeth has made no effort to tone down his he-man reputation, as Aussie Allan Alaalatoa discovered in Sydney last year, as the big Bok used him as a push-chair in the in-goal area.
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He symbolises one thing: Bok rugby will never be a push-over.
