News24.com | 'A happy player is a better player': Eben attributes fine form to his return home from France

• Star Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth attributed his fine form to his return home last year, a season in which he played some of his best-ever rugby.
• Etzebeth was voted the 2022 SA Rugby Player of the Year, but was dubiously overlooked for the World Rugby award nomination.
• The 110-cap Springbok had almost two months off during which he tied the knot, went on honeymoon, and took a much-appreciated mental break from rugby.

SA Rugby Player of the Year Eben Etzebeth has been on a tear since the start of the 2022 international season and continued that ride for the Sharks in Europe later in the year and into 2023.

The 31-year-old lock, who barely missed a Springbok game last year, putting in classy performance after classy performance, attributed his fine form to his return home after spending four years in France with Toulon.

He came back to South Africa to play for the Sharks, instead of his boyhood union Western Province and the Stormers, and the decision has brought the beast out of the second-rower.

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Many felt he was unlucky to be completely left out of the World Rugby Player of the Year nominations, alongside teammate and best friend Siya Kolisi, but it didn’t take anything away from the superb season the pair enjoyed.

"It’s a difficult one to pinpoint but if you’re a happy rugby player, you’re probably a better rugby player. So, I’m happy to be back in South Africa, recently happily married," Etzebeth told News24.

"You always work hard and you’ve got good coaches and players around you and that also helps.

"Those guys around you, the good team structure, and the good plans that coaches give you mean you can freely go into a game without worrying about anything else.

"You know you’ve got world-class players around you and you can focus on your own stuff and try to get better at your own things.

"I’m happy to be at the Sharks and playing for a South African franchise. South Africa is the best country in the world, so it’s awesome to be back."

Speaking at the launch of SA Rugby’s Springbok partnership with Chinese mobile cellphone manufacturer OPPO in Fourways, Johannesburg, Etzebeth said he was mentally refreshed after nearly a couple of months off.

Etzebeth tied the knot during that period and went on honeymoon with his wife, Anlia, to the Maldives. Life’s a beach, as they say.

But reality struck when he attended a three-week Springbok alignment camp right after his nuptials, where head coach Jacques Nienaber and his staff put 14 players through their paces in preparation for a testing international season.

Etzebeth last hit the field when the Sharks edged Edinburgh at Dam Health on 28 February, but he said he appreciated the break considering players now play throughout December because of United Rugby Championship (URC) and Champions Cup commitments.

"It’s a difficult (calendar) to manage and I think there must be time made for guys to take a break, just to get mentally ready again," he said.

"I feel great mentally. We had a three-week (Springbok) training camp with the guys and I must say we worked hard, so the guys should be conditioned. And next week we’ll probably get into a game week again with the Sharks.

"The Springbok training camp is definitely going to be beneficial for us later in the year. I wish we could have had more guys there and for them to experience the hard work we put in, but it was awesome to be part of."