On 28 July 2012, when the Stormers faced the Sharks at Newlands in the Super Rugby semi-finals, Eben Etzebeth bounced Bismarck du Plessis with such force that the Sharks hard man left his feet, flailing at thin air, and landed on his backside.
By this stage, the two were Springbok teammates as a 20-year-old Etzebeth had made his Test debut along with coach Heyneke Meyer in the victorious June series against touring England.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since the boyish giant burst on to the scene and, over the course of 97 Tests, it’s fair to say Etzebeth has not been given enough respect for so seamlessly filling the boots of one of South Africa’s quintessential enforcers, Bakkies Botha.
Bakkies had the advantage of being on…
