Durban — In the biggest coup yet for the Sharks under CEO Ed Coetzee and the Sharks’ American partners, Bok bruiser Eben Etzebeth has signed a five-year deal that will see him playing out his career at Hollywoodbets Kings Park.
The Sharks have lacked a genuine enforcer in their pack for many a year and the 30-year-old Etzebeth fills a significant gap in the Sharks’ engine room.
Etzebeth, who has played 97 times for the Springboks, will play out the French season with Toulon and join up with the Sharks in July of this year and will remain in their ranks until the end of 2027.
Welcoming a new member of the family 🖤#OurSharksForever pic.twitter.com/DdVHzMn3PB
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) February 17, 2022
Hot on the heels of the contracting of Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and Bok starting hooker Bongi Mbonambi, the signature of one of the most feared and respected players in the world is a major statement of intent by the Durban team.
Coetzee said as much: “Attracting a player of Etzebeth’s calibre underlines the importance the Sharks place on building a winning squad, which is aligned to the vision of being the biggest franchise in world rugby.
“We’re also focused on building a strong group of players for a number of years, not just the immediate future and Eben’s long-term contract reflects this.
“We want to create a winning culture here at the Sharks and from a team perspective, bringing players who have achieved at the highest level helps in this regard.”
Etzebeth, speaking from France, said: “These are exciting times. I’m looking forward to coming to the Sharks and I expect this to be a wonderful chapter in my career.
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The 122kg, 2.03m beast of a lock moved to Toulon from Cape Town after the 2019 World Cup and he feels it is time to return to his South African roots.
“Family and being closer to home was a big motivating factor, as well as being able to represent a great team like the Sharks.
Our newest Shark 🥳#OurSharksForever pic.twitter.com/uSB4XNjRdt
— The Sharks (@SharksRugby) February 17, 2022
“I can see things are happening there, Siya (Kolisi) is there and we’ve been friends since we were in the provincial Under 19s together and now we will get to play for the Sharks together. Along with my Springbok teammates Bongi Mbonambi, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Thomas du Toit, all guys I know well. I’m also really excited to meet a few new guys.”
He added that playing home games at Hollywoodbets Kings Park also excites him.
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“I’m looking forward to playing at the Shark Tank, the local derbies against the Bulls, Stormers and Lions will be awesome. I’m looking forward to being back in South Africa and playing in front of the Sharks fans there.”
Etzebeth admitted that he did his homework on the team that was courting him, speaking to some of the players there already.
“I chatted to Siya, I gave Thomas a call and chatted to them. Off the field, things work, on the field we can see things are working and the team is doing well, I enjoyed watching the last game against the Bulls and the victory away from home and this is a brand I definitely want to be associated with and which I’m proud to be joining.”
IOL Sport