Eben Etzebeth, the most-capped member of the 2021 Springbok squad who ended the season with 97 Test caps to his name, will return to South Africa later this year after signing a contract with the Durban-based Cell C Sharks.
The 30-year-old Etzebeth will be reunited with two of his national and former DHL Stormers team-mates in Durban, in Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and Bongi Mbonambi, both of whom joined the KwaZulu-Natalians in the last year.
Etzebeth left South Africa for Toulon in 2019, but he was released early from his contract with the French giants earlier this week.
A statement from Toulon issued on Sunday read: “Eben Etzebeth has expressed his desire to put an early end to the contract binding him to Toulonnais in order to return, for personal reasons, to South Africa. Aware of the difficulties encountered by the player, the club took note of this request and accepted it.”
The Cell C Sharks announced on Thursday that they had concluded a deal with the towering lock – one of the five nominees for the SA Rugby Player of the Year Award last year – who made his Test debut for the Boks in 2012, and was a key member of the Rugby World Cup-winning squad in 2019.
Etzebeth, who also featured in the 2015 RWC in England, started in 92 of his 97 Tests and also captained the Boks on 12 occasions between 2017 and 2019.
His presence will significantly bolster a Sharks pack that already includes Test players in Kolisi and Mbonambi, as well as props Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit, and No 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe.
“I’m looking forward to coming to the Sharks and living in Durban,” Etzebeth said on the Sharks’ social media channels on Thursday.
“A big factor was probably family, and being closer to home, as well as representing a great team like the Sharks, where I can see things are happening.
“And Siya is there – we’ve been big friends since Under-19 in Stellenbosch, and now we’re going to be playing together for the Sharks – along with Bongi, Ox, Thomas, Lukhanyo (Am), (Makazole) Mapimpi, some other guys I know and I’m also excited to meet a bunch of other new guys.”
