The Face of fury: Eben Etzebeth’s return and the next chapter in the Springboks' enforcer's career

Eben Etzebeth is a month away from returning to the playing field after copping a 12-match ban for an alleged eye-gouge on Wales flanker Alex Mann last November.

I had been wondering when he would be back for the Sharks — it is likely to be the URC fixture against Cardiff in Durban on March 27 — and out of curiosity, I looked up the footage of the incident at the Principality Stadium.

Etzebeth seemed to have been provoked (the television cameras didn’t capture a probable off-the-ball incident). This was evident by the fury that gripped him and led to him and Mann getting "better acquainted". There are few scarier sights in sport than the towering Etzebeth beset with rage, and it reminded me of his "face of fury" during his set-to with Allan Alaalatoa in the 2022 game against Australia in Sydney.

And then my memory went into search mode — I had seen that face earlier in Etzebeth’s career, but where and when?

Then it came back to me. It was 2015, and the Springboks were staying at a luxury training facility in Bagshot, a village in Surrey. Etzebeth was on press conference duty in the week of the Boks’ quarter-final against Wales. A New Zealand journalist had a moment of madness and asked Eben if his nickname was "Borat", after the Sacha Baron Cohen character.

If you have seen the movies, you will know this was not a compliment. Etzebeth had seen them, and he didn’t like the comparison. Not one bit. His eyes blazed; his knuckles were white as he clenched his fists. I recall thinking, "Something bad is about to happen..."

Then Eben remembered where he was. He regained control of his temper and snarled, "Stupid question!" But the Kiwi reporter was not entirely off the hook. At the end of the press conference, Etzebeth took a detour to where the man was sitting and, in Afrikaans, hissed a comment that is unprintable as he walked past. It went something like, "Jou ma se..."

Seven years later, the Boks were in Australia in a foul mood, having disappointed the previous week in a 25-17 loss to the Wallabies in Adelaide. Aussie scrum-half Nic White had incessantly riled the Boks with his chirping. His football-style dive after his opposite number, Faf de Klerk, had waved a hand in front of his face lives on in infamy.

It was a very angry Springbok team that took the field in Sydney for the return match. White foolishly fed the tension by giving the Boks lip. Tempers were on edge, and it was no surprise when White, with a bloody mouth after a ruck, complained to the referee that he had been punched.

The fuse was lit on the powderkeg ten minutes from time when Makazole Mapimpi scored in the corner despite the best attentions of Marika Koroibete. As Mapimpi rose triumphantly, he gently laid a hand on Koroibete’s chin and gave him some verbal.

Then all hell broke loose. Most players from both sides were involved in the fracas; inevitably, at the epicentre was "Eben the Angry", who grabbed Allan Alaalatoa by the scruff of the neck and took him for a little "stroll" around the in-goal area.

The pair never quite exchanged blows — although the Australian looked at one point as if he were attempting to eye-gouge Etzebeth — but the fury on the Bok enforcer’s face suggested Alaalatoa was seconds away from having his head ripped off. In the background, a touch judge watched on in terror.

Etzebeth was the acting captain because Siya Kolisi had been replaced, but he escaped censure. It was the unfortunate Mapimpi who was yellow-carded, though his try stood.

There was a very cool sequel to the incident. A few hours after the game, a video clip was released on social media showing the pair enjoying a beer together. Alaalatoa is seen walking to a fridge in the changing room, grabbing a few cans, and it is all smiles as he and Etzebeth engage in relaxed conversation.

That is the beauty of the game of rugby.

* This column is based on an extract from Mike Greenaway’s best-selling book The Fireside Springbok.