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'Tackling's a tough one to call, I don't like the game to go soft'

By Liam Heagney
Andre Esterhuizen cops a much-debated 2018 tackle from Owen Farrell (Photo by Adam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images)

Harlequins midfielder Andre Esterhuizen has admitted that his sights are very much on securing World Cup selection later this year with the Springboks having missed out on making the trophy-winning squad in 2019. The 28-year-old won his eighth cap shortly before Rassie Erasmus chose his squad for the finals in Japan four years and his subsequent switch to London from the Durban-based Sharks left him with a battle for follow-up recognition.

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It took until July 2022 for him to finally force his way back into the Test picture with the Springboks. Having since played on three occasions – versus Wales in Bloemfontein, versus Argentina in Buenos Aires and versus Italy in Genoa – he is hoping that a stellar run of form with Harlequins, starting this weekend in Europe versus a Sharks midfield likely consisting of Ben Tapuai and Lukhanyo Am, can keep him firmly in the discussion for RWC 2023 in France.

“It was great to be back in the setup, getting one or two games under the belt,” said Esterhuizen when asked by RugbyPass on Wednesday at a Harlequins media briefing about his Springboks situation. “For me, it’s always been a goal. Just missed out on the previous World Cup so hopefully this season I will play well enough to get recognised again. Hopefully, I get selected for the World Cup. Like I said, it was brilliant being back. I loved it.”

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Esterhuizen wasn’t involved, though, in the recent series-ending win over England due to the Springboks fixture falling outside the Test window governing player release. Instead, he trained with Harlequins that week and made do with some punditry at Twickenham on matchday.

“I was actually doing a bit of work at Twickenham that day so I watched the game. We didn’t have the best end-of-year tour ever. We had lost against France and Ireland so that closing game against England was massive for us. It was a big game for us to win so I am just glad we did win it and we played a great game.”

Just last week, Esterhuizen was in the headlines for a very different reason. Media speculation in France linked him with a possible Top 14 move, a story swiftly denied on Twitter by Harlequins CEO Laurie Dalrymple. Contracted at The Stoop until the end of the 2024/25 season, Esterhuizen said: “Yeah, there is always going to be a bit of rumours around rugby, especially transfer news and stuff. But I am staying put until 2025, signed, very happy here at Harlequins.

“I have best mates here, all the South Africans here. Steph (Lewies) came here before me so I have got a great bunch here, loving rugby and loving the environment so for me at the moment there is no reason for moving anywhere as me and my family are so happy. The only thing bad here is the weather but that’s Europe.”

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Red-carded tackles are currently a Champions Cup hot topic. Now in his third season at Harlequins, it was during his first season at the club when Esterhuizen was twice red-carded. He has since kept out of trouble and maintains a major focus on his technique.

“Tackling for me is a tough one to call. I don’t like the game to go soft but tackle entry, obviously stupid tackles are something we need to avoid. It is a big focus for us, the tackle entry point. Low tackles, chop tackles, they are the most effective but there is always a grey area there in rugby collisions where it is too late to adjust and stuff like that.

“There are still a lot of controversial calls going on around tackles but I think it is something we will get right going further into the season. For us, tackle focus, tackle entry is big for us.”

What does Esterhuizen make of the tackle school intervention programme where red-carded offenders can potentially get a match taken off their ban by successfully completing the coaching intervention programme? “I haven’t been to one so I don’t know what they teach in those classes. If they teach something well that is probably good but I don’t know what they teach in those classes so I can’t really comment on it.”

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Jon 4 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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j
john 7 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 12 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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