Mallett offers Etzebeth sage advice

Former Springbok head coach Nick Mallett has advised Stormers lock Eben Etzebeth to not let the opposition get under his skin.

Etzebeth was yellow-carded for raising his hand into Blues back-row Akira Ioane’s face during a scuffle.

The Blues scored two tries in the 10 minutes the Stormers enforcer was off the field but luckily for Etzebeth it did not cost his side the game as the Stormers managed to come away with a hard-fought 30-22 win.

The 25-year-old made up for his indiscipline with a stellar performance upon his return to the field of play but Mallett believes his game will drastically improve if he conserves the energy he puts into off-the-ball scuffles.

“When Etzebeth came back on the field, he concentrated on taking the ball up with huge intensity and physicality and he won the contact battle by knocking Blues players backwards in the tackle,” Mallett told Supersport.

“Someone should advise him that he is going to be niggled by the opposition all the time because they know he reacts quickly. He should just put his hands up, turn around and walk away.

“Rather get angry inside yourself, so that the next time you carry the ball up or hit a ruck you really make them feel it. But all this pushing and shoving, where no one actually gets hit because it’s not a proper fight, is just a total waste of time.”