Eben Etzebeth is close to a Sharks move. Image: News365
Sharks confirm ‘big announcement’ for Thursday amid Etzebeth talks
The Sharks will have caught the attention of their fans after confirming a big announcement will be made on Thursday.
Eben Etzebeth is close to a Sharks move. Image: News365
According to reports that emerged on Sunday, the Sharks are in advanced talks for Springbok superstar Eben Etzebeth to join the coastal side by next season, but the deal was said to hinge on how badly the World Cup winner wants to return to South Africa.
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In the latest development, Toulon then released a statement on Sunday to reveal that the powerful lock has indeed “expressed the wish to put an early end to the contract binding him to Toulon in order to return, for personal reasons, to South Africa”.
“I am sad to have to leave Toulon and my teammates at the end of the season but personal reasons force me to do so,” Etzebeth commented.
The powerful second rower has been on an incredibly lucrative contract with French powerhouse club Toulon, and would obviously need to accept a pay cut at the Sharks.
The Durban-based franchise has now posted a social media teaser to confirm they have an announcement taking place at 12:30pm on Thursday.
Although it remains to be seen what the announcement will be, there is no doubt fans will be desperately hoping that Etzebeth is unveiled as a new recruit.
“We are looking at lock,” Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee already told TimesLive.”We would love to get him, but he is on a big contract so he’ll have to get out of his contract and be prepared to take a substantial salary cut.
“Jeepers, his salary at Toulon is almost a third of the salary cap in SA,” Coetzee added in reference to the fact that SA franchises have a R65.5m player salary cap this year.
“I think Eben might get out. We are discussing this with his representatives and we are trying to push this to an end.”
Sunday newspaper Rapport had already suggested that Etzebeth was looking to return to South Africa, while the Sharks are hoping his close relationship with Bok captain and good friend Siya Kolisi helps lure him to Durban.
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Etzebeth may have grown disillusioned at Toulon
This talk comes not long after Toulon president Bernard Lemaître described Etzebeth as a “handicap” to the club because he is expensive and often unavailable.
Coetzee confirmed that this was a factor that led to the World Cup winner becoming a possible recruit.
“I think it happened when their president shot his mouth off and I think that rubbed Eben up the wrong way.”
In a wide-ranging interview with newspaper Var-matin, Lemaître explained the issues the club faces in terms of player recruitment ahead of the upcoming 2022/2023 season, and quite bizarrely took a swipe at Etzebeth and Argentinian Facundo Isa.
Etzebeth joined the French club in a high-profile, big-money move in 2019, and Lemaître suggested they weren’t getting bang for their buck.
“There is a double problem in recruiting: the Salary Cap and the JIFFs. You can’t do just anything, so I pay special attention to the situation of internationals because they can be an opportunity or a handicap. In this case, players like Eben Etzebeth and Facundo Isa are a clear handicap for the club.
“The policy of the XV of France is very clear and we know that some players like Gros or Villière will be called up regularly. While for foreigners it is different. I spoke with Bernard Laporte who agrees with me: the League should work with World Rugby to prevent foreign countries from coming to the Top 14 supermarket to take the players they need for their selection.
“Or, if they do, there should be some compensation. These players get paid, cost the club full, and are used by someone else. This, even at the level of labor law, does not exist. There is a problem to be resolved.”
Towards the end of last year, Toulon announced that Etzebeth will be forced to spend a three-month period out of action due to the latest concussion he suffered while playing for the Boks against England.
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