Eben Etzebeth goes a step too far with disgracefully illegal tackle
Eben Etzebeth is just a 6 foot 8 inch, 120kg ball of aggression, and it must be mightily hard to control that aggression at times.
That was shown on his Sharks debut on Saturday against Glasgow Warriors at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, where he left Glasgow hooker George Turner flat on the floor in agony after what was one of the easiest illegal tackles referee Chris Busby will ever give.
After a Sharks box kick was fumbled, Turner jumped up to catch the ball while it was still in midair. While his feet were about a metre off the ground, Etzebeth charged through and cut him in half, all while the referee was standing about right next to him. The lock was penalised straight away while Turner was left writhing in agony, although he did continue to play.
This was a sour moment in what was a pretty impressive Sharks debut, where it took the Springboks centurion just minutes to make an impression- charging through the Glasgow defence with a rampaging run.
Rugby 4 Life has recently shared a highlights reel of his debut, as the Sharks went on to win 40-12 to lift them to fourth in the United Rugby Championship table. Take a look:
Cell C Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Werner Kok, Marnus Potgieter, Ben Tapuai, Anthony Volmink, Boeta Chamberlain, Jaden Hendrikse, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Kerron van Vuuren, Thomas du Toit (CAPT), Eben Etzebeth, Hyron Andrews, Dylan Richardson, Vincent Tshituka, Phepsi Buthelezi
Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Carlu Sadie, Reniel Hugo, Siya Kolisi, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Cameron Wright, Makazole Mapimpi
Glasgow Warriors: Ollie Smith, Sebastian Cancelliere, Sione Tuipulotu (CAPT), Sam Johnson, Josh McKay, Tom Jordan, Ali Price; Jamie Bhatti, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Sintu Manjezi, Richie Gray, Scott Cummings, Thomas Gordon, Matt Fagerson
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Oli Kebble, Murphy Walker, JP du Preez, Ryan Wilson, Gregor Brown, George Horne, Ross Thompson
