Weighing roughly the same but stretching twice as long is a contender for the rugby’s largest GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). And this Saturday, when he leaves the bench to take on Argentina at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago, he will become the joint-most capped Springbok of all time.
Questions of greatest in rugby are of course subjective. Is Antoine Dupont, a scrum-half, a better player than winger Cheslin Kolbe? That’s a matter of taste. And given the unique parameters of each position this can feel like comparing apples with rib-eye steaks. Ranking players across different eras is even more of a challenge as the sport has undergone numerous evolutionary cycles over the decades.
Let’s instead stick to the same time-frame and hone in on one position to find an answer to a challenging question: is Eben Etzebeth the greatest lock of his generation? Perhaps if we find a definitive conclusion there, we can then ponder where he ranks on the all-time list.
This weekend Etzebeth will play his 127th game for his country, drawing him level with fellow lock Victor Matfield who retired in 2015. That Etzebeth partnered with Matfield in the second row on 12 occasions underlines just how long he’s been around.
Since making his Test debut against England in June 2012 – in a 22-17 win in Durban – Etzebeth has averaged more than 10 Tests a year. Given the physical challenges of the position this longevity is remarkable on its own. Apart from Matfield, only two other second rowers in Alun Wyn Jones and Sam Whitelock have more Test caps.
But it’s not simply Ezebebeth’s length of time at the top that marks him as a great but what he’s achieved while he’s been there. Like Whitelock he has two World Cup titles but also owns a British & Irish Lions tour winner’s medal, making him the most decorated second rower in history. This, though, is just the start.
Since his debut 12 years ago there have been 22 other locks who have played at least 50 Tests. Argentina [Matias Alemanno, Tomas Lavanini and Guido Petti], England [Maro Itoje, Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes], Ireland [Iain Henderson, James Ryan and Devin Toner], New Zealand [Scott Barrett, Brodie Retalick and Whitelock], Scotland [Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray and Richie Gray], and Wales [Jake Ball, Adam Beard and Jones] have contributed three each; France [Yoann Maestri] and Australia [Rob Simmons] have a player each on the list; two South Africans [Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert] complete the list.
In that time Etzebeth is head and shoulders above the competition in some key metrics. He has won 97 more line-outs from his team’s own throw than anyone else. He’s made more carries than anyone else. He’s beaten more defenders than anyone else. He’s also made 17 more dominant tackles and stolen 19 more line-outs than the next best on those tables.
The above stats deserve a second look. When one considers the primary function of a lock then there is no question that Etzebeth is in rarified air.
He is a totem at the line-out and a menace when defending the set-piece. His power when carrying in heavy traffic around the fringe, as well as his mobility once he gets his long legs moving through the gears out in the tram, means he is a constant threat with ball in hand and can offer options across the park. Not only does he have the raw strength to steamroll would-be tacklers, but his quick feet allows him to work the extra half-metre of space beyond the shoulder of the tackler. And when on defence, he is an indomitable barrier.
Of course these numbers are slightly skewed given how long he’s been playing. After all, you’d expect carry and tackle figures to swell over an active decade. But it is his all-round game that has seen him stand out as a modern great. As Hanyani Shimange recently said on the Boks Office podcast, “Eben shows up every weekend though, that’s one thing. I can’t think of a single game where he hasn’t shown up.”
In this year’s Rugby Championship, Rugbypass has awarded him scores of 8, 7.5, 7.5 and 8 out of 10. He scored 8 in the World Cup final and 9 in the quarter-final win over France which more than compensated for his singularly awful show against England in the semi-final. Even when he registered a score of 6.5 in the recent win over Ireland in Pretoria, writer Josh Raisey asked, “Is Eben Etzebeth physically capable of putting in a poor performance?”
This sentiment is evidenced when analysing other important markers. Etzebeth’s dominant carry success is at 29.1%, just 2.5% behind Retallick in top spot. His dominant tackle rate is 9.6%, 0.3% behind Barrett. With 88% he’s second behind Mostert (90%) when it comes to attacking ruck efficiency and only Henderson and Lavanini (with 66% each) attract two tacklers or more with every carry than Etzebeth (65%).
When Matfield was at the peak of his powers, South African locks were largely categorised into one of two types. Like Matfield there were line-out generals who understood the game on a strategic level, and then there were players in the Bakkies Botha mould; enforcers who terrorised men and left a path of destruction in their wake.
Etzebeth is both. A colossus who can play tight and loose. A brute with demon eyes who can also contribute in a counter attack. He adds value at restarts and has recently seen action out wide where his height poses a unique challenge from cross-field kicks. He is simultaneously a composed leader and a blunt battering ram. In short, he has changed the image of the South African second-rower while doubling down on some of the position’s more traditional traits.
“Eben will definitely be remembered one day as one of the very best Boks ever, if not the best,” Matfield said this week. The numbers certainly support that claim.
The formidable lock has barely missed a beat in his pursuit of Victor Matfield's all-time Springboks record of 127 caps.
