'A happy player is a better player': Eben attributes fine form to his return home from France

SA Rugby Player of the Year Eben Etzebeth has been on a tear since the start of the 2022 international season and continued that ride for the Sharks in Europe later in the year and into 2023.

The 31-year-old lock, who barely missed a Springbok game last year, putting in classy performance after classy performance, attributed his fine form to his return home after spending four years in France with Toulon.

He came back to South Africa to play for the Sharks, instead of his boyhood union Western Province and the Stormers, and the decision has brought the beast out of the second-rower.

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Many felt he was unlucky to be completely left out of the World Rugby Player of the Year nominations, alongside teammate and best friend Siya Kolisi, but it didn’t take anything away from the superb season the pair enjoyed.

"It’s a difficult one to pinpoint but if you’re a happy rugby player, you’re probably a better rugby player. So, I’m happy to be back in South Africa, recently happily married," Etzebeth told News24.

"You always work hard and you’ve got good coaches and players around you and that also helps.

"Those guys around you, the good team structure, and the good plans that coaches give you mean you can freely go into a game without worrying about anything else.

"You know you’ve got world-class players around you and you can focus on your own stuff and try to get better at your own things.

"I’m happy to be at the Sharks and playing for a South African franchise. South Africa is the best country in the world, so it’s awesome to be back."

Speaking at the launch of SA Rugby’s Springbok partnership with Chinese mobile cellphone manufacturer OPPO in Fourways,