DURBAN :South Africa forward Eben Etzebeth is back from injury at the perfect time for club and country with the Sharks competing in this weekend’s United Rugby Championship quarter-finals and the Springboks ready to embark on a programme of 13 tests this year.
Etzebeth played his first full match in five months when the Sharks beat Scarlets two weeks ago to secure a top-four place in the URC regular season standings and a home game against Munster in the last eight in Durban on Saturday.
There had been concerns about the 33-year-old’s playing future when he was ruled out after suffering concussion in a win over Exeter Chiefs in the European Champions Cup in early December.
However, South Africa’s most capped international said his body was rested and fresh.
“It was obviously frustrating with the concussion,” he told reporters in the build-up to the clash against Munster.
“There’s not really a timeline on it, it’s all about your symptoms and how you respond to certain treatments. So I’d think, ‘maybe I’ll be back in a week’s time’ and then it’s a bit longer,”
“And then I picked up a hamstring (injury) and had to sit out a bit more.”
That injury came at a training camp with the Springboks and meant Etzebeth only made a return in mid-April with a handful of substitute appearances.
There was more concern when a knock to his knee saw him go off after 28 minutes against the Ospreys at the start of the month but he made a quick recovery to play a full game on May 17.
“It was good to get that first 80 minutes against Scarlets under the belt,” he added. “It’s good when you play 20 here or 60 there, but when you finally get a full game, you really feel like you’re back in the mix,” Etzebeth added.
His return will come as a boost to Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus, who plans to use matches in July against Italy and Georgia to blood younger players alongside the likes of double-World Cup winner Etzebeth.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
