Eben Etzebeth

Springbok 2019 Rugby World Cup winner Eben Etzebeth. Photo: Adrian DENNIS / AFP

BREAKING: Toulon confirm Etzebeth exit, Sharks move imminent

Springbok superstar Eben Etzebeth looks in line for a dramatic move to the Durban-based Sharks from French club Toulon.

Eben Etzebeth

Springbok 2019 Rugby World Cup winner Eben Etzebeth. Photo: Adrian DENNIS / AFP

According to reports that emerged on Sunday, the Sharks are in advanced talks for 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 SA.

Now, in a dramatic further development, Toulon 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.

Etzebeth has been on an incredibly lucrative contract with French powerhouse club Toulon, and would obviously need to accept a pay cut at the Sharks.

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.

Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee told TimesLive that they are looking to sign a world-class lock, but conceded the matter was a “little complicated” when it came to Etzebeth.

“We are looking at lock. 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.

“I think Eben might get out. We are discussing this with his representatives and we are trying to push this to an end.

“We have to stay within our means. We can’t put things at risk because of an emotional decision. It depends how badly he wants to come back to SA. I think he is contracted until the Rugby World Cup.”

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.

In a wide-ranging interview with newspaper Var-matinLemaître 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. 

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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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