Andre Esterhuizen hails ‘unbelievable’ Springboks team-mate as Sharks player to watch against Stormers
Sharks skipper Andre Esterhuizen and his centre partner Ethan Hooker (inset).
Sharks captain Andre Esterhuizen believes fellow Springboks backline star Ethan Hooker is a player who could play a big role when they host the Stormers in Durban on Saturday.
The home side head into the eagerly anticipated South African derby full of confidence after delivering a dominant performance in the corresponding fixture in Cape Town last weekend.
The Sharks dominated most facets of play en route to their 30-19 triumph over the Stormers and the result was a significant one for the men from the Cape as it was their first defeat in the United Rugby Championship (URC) after eight successive victories in the competition.
After that loss, Esterhuizen expects the Stormers to come with a huge onslaught as they bid to turn the tables on the Sharks.
‘We definitely expect the best from them’
“They’re definitely going to be fired up. They’re going to want to come back, prove a point. We definitely expect the best from them,” he said.
“We know what’s coming, we know the challenge, and we’re definitely up for the challenge. They had an off week last week and this week they’re going to try to rectify it.
“We can see if we can put them under pressure again. That’s the thing about South African derbies – you need to be up for them every week.”
Hooker has played most of his matches for the Sharks on the wing since making his debut for them in 2023 but is now lining up alongside Esterhuizen in midfield and the latter is excited by the potential of their budding partnership.
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“I think it’s still fairly new, to be honest with you; we’re still finding each other in a way,” revealed the Sharks captain, who showed off his utility value by finishing last week’s clash on the flank during the final quarter in Cape Town.
‘I think he’s an unbelievable rugby player’
“We definitely need to find a way to get the ball to him a little bit more as well because I think he’s an unbelievable rugby player with ball in hand and on defence.”
Hooker delivered a solid defensive performance against the Stormers in Cape Town, but Esterhuizen believes he could also prove a handful on attack and said he enjoys playing alongside the 23-year-old.
“I think he’s obviously growing as a player every weekend, and we’re getting accustomed to each other,” he explained. “I think now when we start to know each other a little bit more and play more together week in and week out, getting consistent games together, it will go a lot better.
“We’ll start playing off each other, putting each other in space and running off each other.
“It will just become easier the more we play because the last two weeks we were both off; this was our first game back together again, and hopefully this weekend we play together again.”
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