Andre Esterhuizen is back for the Boks. Photo: Archieves
WATCH: Bok centre Esterhuizen in the form of his life for English club
Powerful centre Andre Esterhuizen is sure to stake a claim for a Springbok recall if he can maintain his current form for Harlequins.
Andre Esterhuizen is back for the Boks. Photo: Archieves
Esterhuizen was at the heart of Halrequins’ memorable comeback victory over Northampton Saints in the English Premiership at the end of 2021, while he followed that up with another Man of the Match performance in a memorable win over Gloucester on Sunday.
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The big centre made 15 carries, 80 metres, beat eight defenders, executed seven tackles and notably also won three turnovers.
Esterhuizen has consistently been in impressive form for his English club, and there are growing calls for him to be recalled to the Springboks in 2022.
The 27-year-old last played for the Springboks in 2019 (earning his eighth Test cap against Argentina), but missed out on World Cup selection, and has not really been in the national frame since then.
However, there is good reason to believe that Esterhuizen could soon be back in the Bok mix should he continue to perform at such a level for Harlequins.
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As we look ahead to a new year, overseas-based Esterhuizen and Harlequins teammate Tyrone Green are two of the players that could come into the Bok reckoning.
Green has also been in sensational form for Quins, and the 23-year-old is surely set for a national call-up sooner rather than later. As revealed in a quite remarkable statistic, Green gained exactly 2000 metres in the English Premiership in 2021, over 300 metres more than any other player, while he also beat the joint most defenders this calendar year (92, level with Tom O’Flaherty).
Besides an array of standout attacking strengths, Green has also proven to be solid under the high ball and on defence.
As a utility back who is capable of playing on the wing or at fullback, there is no doubt that Green could add real value to the Bok squad in 2022.
