Eben Etzebeth injured again just one game into Toulon comeback

Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth will spend another spell on the sidelines following his latest injury. According to media reports, Etzebeth sustained a calf injury ahead of Toulon’s Top14 match against the Perpignan.

RMC Sport reported that the 6’8, 123kg secondrow tore a calf muscle which could see him sidelined for the next four weeks.

The 30-year-old made his first appearance of the season against Bordeaux last weekend following a three-month break due to concussion protocol.

Earlier this week, the former Stormers stalwart signed a deal with Durban-based franchise Sharks.

Etzebeth will leave Toulon at the end of the current Top14 season and join the Sharks until 2027.

The Springboks enforcer joins the Durban-based side having drawn criticism from RCT President Bernard Lemaître who suggested the combination of his current injury profile and high wages was a ‘handicap’ to the club.

“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.”

It was July 2020 when the 30-year-old, who arrived in France on a two-year deal following his country’s 2019 World Cup win, extended his deal by a further two years, but that contract will now end a year earlier than planned.

This early release of Etzebeth from his deal in France paved the way for him to link up with a South African franchise and rather than return to the Stormers, whom he represented in six Super Rugby campaigns.

“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,” said Etzebeth. “Toulon and its supporters welcomed me… I have the will to give everything with this team until the end of the season to allow Toulon to perform, to move up in the standings and to be ambitious in the Challenge Cup.”