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Harlequins CEO refutes Andre Esterhuizen rumours

By Ian Cameron
(Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Harlequins)

Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple has refuted claims that Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen is considering leaving the club.

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Rugbyrama in France posted an article this morning that linked the giant centre with a move to Lyon. The story went that the South African blockbuster was set head to France as a replacement for Josua Tuisova.

However Quins head honcho Dalrymple has dismissed the claims about Esterhuizen, who is contracted to 2025, by tweeting ‘No he is not’ about an account claiming he was leaving.

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Arriving at Harlequins at the tail end of the 2019/20 campaign, the eight-time capped Springbok played a key role in Quins’ spectacular rise to become Premiership champions last season, combining with England men Marcus Smith and Joe Marchant in the midfield to form a key pillar in Quins’ highly rated attack under assistant coach Nick Evans.

The 28-year-old Springbok centre, who stands at 6’4 and weighs 113kg, has made over 50 appearances for the west London club to date.

Although oft overlooked by the Springboks, the massive centre is has been in the form of his life at Harlequins. Last season Esterhuizen started in every single Gallagher Premiership game for Harlequins, a feat he shared with Danny Care and he won the Rugby Players’ Association players’ player of the year award.

Last summer Esterhuizen was ruled out of South Africa’s Test series decider against Wales after breaking his hand.

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Esterhuizen joined the Sharks in 2013, making his debut in a 72–6 victory against the Border Bulldogs, coming on as a substitute in the second half. He was first included in the side’s Super Rugby squad for the 2014 season and made his South Africa debut against Wales in 2018.

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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