Eben Etzebeth opens up on ‘not ideal’ injury run as he sees ‘positives’ before Springboks’ season
Springboks second-row Eben Etzebeth.
Behemoth Springboks second-row Eben Etzebeth has revealed that he is over his injury setbacks and is looking forward to the world champions’ upcoming international campaign.
The 33-year-old has struggled with a number of problems since the end of 2024, starting with a head injury he suffered in a Champions Cup clash against Exeter Chiefs in December.
That kept him on the sidelines for several months as his concussion symptoms persisted before a hamstring strain delayed his comeback.
He was eventually named to make his comeback against Edinburgh during the league phase of the United Rugby Championship (URC), but illness forced him to miss the Sharks’ Round 16 match against Ulster.
The Sharks’ skipper returned to action in their next URC match against the Ospreys but was forced off due to a knee injury after just 30 minutes of action.
That injury was not too serious though and Etzebeth returned to action for the Sharks’ final league match of the URC season against the Scarlets and also led his troops in their quarter-final victory over Munster in Durban.
However, the injury curse struck again when he was forced to withdraw on the eve of their URC semi-final with the Bulls in Pretoria after taking a knock at training.
Keen to make up for lost time
Despite all those setbacks, Etzebeth said he is fully fit now and is determined to make a positive impact for the Springboks.
“I’ve recovered from everything; that’s all in the past,” he said of his injuries. “Obviously, didn’t have such a good run at the Sharks with injury, concussion.
“It kept me out for about four, four and a half months, which wasn’t ideal.
“But, yeah, I recovered. I got a few games for the Sharks at the back end of the season. And then just suffered a small setback in training just before the semi-final.
“That was just a minor one. I’m fully back in training. I’m very excited for the Springbok season ahead.”
The most capped player in Springboks history admitted that suffering so many setbacks in quick succession has left him with a difficult mental challenge, but revealed that he dealt with it.
“Yeah, I think you can look at it in two ways. Either negative or positive. I try to look at things in life in a positive manner,” said Etzebeth.
“And for me, obviously, it’s not ideal that I don’t play as much rugby for the Sharks as I wanted to this season. But at the end of the day, your body’s resting up a bit.
‘I’m a bit fresher’
“We play week in, week out. The guys that are not injured, you get bruised up, you get battered. And then you only really recover on a Tuesday after a game. I’m a bit fresher. Obviously, the body is feeling good. You get time off for the family.
“But it’s not like you just go away and do nothing. You do rehab. You work on a shoulder that’s been niggling you in the past. You get that up to speed, back to full strength.
“Your whole body can recover nicely. You can get your whole body strong again when you play again.
“So, yes, it’s negative that I’m not playing. I’m not on the field. Not maybe that sharp. But there’s lots of other positives like family time. Getting your body strong again.
“And hopefully that niggles won’t bother you in the coming months.”
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