VIDEO: Rassie provides big update on Eben Etzebeth

SPOTLIGHT: Head coach Rassie Erasmus is confident that Eben Etzebeth will play a big role for the Springboks this year.

The towering lock suffered a knock to the head in a Champions Cup clash against Exeter Chiefs in early December and he has been out of action for the last few months due to concussion symptoms.

In early February, the Sharks revealed that Etzebeth was being managed by a concussion specialist and “he will be cleared to return once they are fully satisfied that his injury has completely resolved”.

In his first press conference of the year at SA Rugby’s headquarters in Plattekloof, Erasmus provided a positive update on the double World Cup winner.

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“I actually drove to Stellenbosch to meet with Dr Pierre Viviers, who is the concussion guru, to get a proper catch-up so I can also understand the concussion setup again,” Erasmus told reporters.

“When a guy is totally concussion free and he starts from a clean sheet again, that’s what we always want.

“If a guy gets a normal concussion again and he fails the HIA with all the protocols, we will never bring a guy back too early.

“Eben must just get to that stage where they say he is concussion free.”

Erasmus added: “He doesn’t have any symptoms and he went through all the processes and, according to what I’ve heard, he will be one of the players that will be available.

“He is not yet ready to play but he is very close to getting ready to play. Once that sheet is clean and he is concussion free, then it is back to normal again.

“When guys get one concussion after the other, there are some implications there. I don’t want to give any data on Eben, but we see him playing for us this year.”

@rugby365com

#SPOTLIGHT: ‘He has shifted my mindset’: Rassie makes things clear on Bok captaincy 👇#SouthAfrica #Springboks https://t.co/obbmIliZ0g

— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) March 5, 2025