Good news for Stormers as Bok lock joins tour

SPRINGBOK lock Eben Etzebeth will travel with the Stormers to Australasia at the weekend and play by the second week of their Super Rugby tour, which is good news for the franchise and South African rugby.

The Cape side has sorely missed the giant second-rower, who made a huge impact on the game in his debut season last year, even though replacement De Kock Steenkamp has been excellent.

An ankle injury sustained in a preseason game against Boland in early February has kept Etzebeth sidelined for the past two months, but the dynamic 21-year-old is nearly ready to return.

He has been at a Springbok training camp for the past two days, alongside 36 other players (with the late inclusion of Sharks scrumhalf Cobus Reinach) and is positive about his imminent return.

“I’m feeling good, but it will be about three weeks before I’m back on the field,” Etzebeth said at the launch of the new Springbok jersey last week. “As it stands now, I’ll be ready for the second tour match.”

That would put him back on the field in time for the Stormers’ game against the Blues on May 3. They start the tour with a match against the Hur- ricanes in Palmerston North on April 26.

They also meet the Waratahs and Rebels in Sydney and Melbourne respectively, following the New Zealand leg of the tour.

It is a crucial tour for the Stormers after four losses in seven games so far this season. But as tours go, the fixture list is as kind as it could be and Etzebeth is relishing the thought of being in the thick of the action soon.

“I’m looking forward to getting back on the field because it’s been hard sitting on the couch and watching the guys play,” Etzebeth said.

“I’ve been in the gym, but because of the injury I need some more conditioning.

“Having the time off has helped me in other ways and given me more time to recover from other niggles, as I played a lot of rugby last year.”

Coach Allister Coetzee confirmed that Etzebeth would be in consideration for the Blues match, but insisted that the Bok would only play if he felt absolutely confident in his own physical capabilities.

“Scarra Ntubeni [hooker], Bryan Habana and Rynhardt Elstadt will definitely be available next week, but it’s touch-and-go with Elton Jantjies [flyhalf]. Gerhard van den Heever [wing] will be ready for our tour opener against the Hurricanes,” Coetzee said.