Springbok and Toulon legend Bakkies Botha is gutted that Eben Etzebeth has failed to live up to his reputation while on duty in France.
Etzebeth has been released from his Toulon contract a year early and will return to South Africa at the end of the season to take up a contract with the Sharks.
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Botha, arguably the most decorated player in the history of the game, had an illustrious career with Toulon winning the European Championship three times and a Top 14 title in 2014. Having set a high standard for World Cup winning Springbok locks in Europe, Botha has been critical of Etzebeth’s time at the club and expressed disappointment that his successor, for club and country, has failed to tough it out in France.
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“Eben Etzebeth? Incredible fighter, best second row in the world,” Botha told Midi Olympique. “But I regret that he only shows his best face with the Springboks. In Toulon, he is still a little injured, concussed and in the end, never plays.”
The implication is that the demands of club rugby in France are too much for Etzebeth who has decided to run back to South Africa.
“Obviously, he was not made for France and he will turn his back on the problems the club went through to return to South Africa.
“It’s disappointing. I love Eben, I repeat. But you can’t say when you arrive in Toulon: ‘I want to be champion of France’ and leave some time later without having marked the club in one way or another.
“His first season was not bad but it is not enough. When you recruit a world-class player, it’s for him to make a difference.”
Bakkies’ comments echo those of club president Bernard Lemaître who last month labelled Etzebeth a “handicap” owing to his huge salary and the fact he has been unavailable for large parts of the rugby year either through injury or through Springbok duty.
Etzebeth returned from concussion after a three-month absence but reports indicate he is once again sidelined with a calf injury. Meanwhile Toulon, once the envy of Europe, are rooted near the bottom of the Top 14 table and face the prospect of relegation.
