Andre the giant can win back Bok place

HARLEQUINS attack coach Nick Evans believes blockbusting centre Andre Esterhuizen has all the tools to work his way back into the Springboks team.

The 27-year-old won the last of his eight caps in 2019, on the eve of the World Cup, and has missed out on selection ever since despite playing some exceptional club rugby.

Esterhuizen is third for clean breaks in the Premiership this year and has run 385 metres and scored three tries. The worry for Premiership rivals is that Evans thinks he can get even better.

“He is titanic in those collisions and gives us a real focal point around our attack, especially off setpiece,” said the former Quins fly-half.

“We’ve talked with him about how we can get him into the game and he wants to get the ball in his hands as much as he can.

“We want to try and help him develop other parts of his game in terms of his distribution and his kicking game as well.

“He is still striving to be part of the South African setup and I certainly thought his form warranted a really close look towards the end of the season.

“We are working really hard to get him back in the South Africa squad, although I know that might not be great for us.”

Evans sees comparisons between Esterhuizen, who extended his contract at Quins in September, and his former teammate Jordan Turner-Hall.

“He has been fantastic for us and has certainly helped our 10s. I remember when I played I had Jordan Turner-Hall who was that guy where you didn’t have to look, you just gave it to him when you ran down that dark alley,” he said.

“He offers so much more than we have unlocked at the moment. He is an under-estimated distributor and he has shown at times he can put a pass on the money; he certainly has a fantastic offloading game when he comes through contact; and he has a massive left foot which we probably haven’t used yet.

“We have gone without a 10 on the bench at times this year and he’s been the guy we’ve said to, ‘if the 10 has to go off, you can slip straight in there’.”