Eben Etzebeth’s antics show he’s like us

The great Australian cricket teams of the past lived by a simple mantra: work hard and play hard.

Shane Warne battled like a soldier on the pitch, yet you could find him in the opposite changing room sharing a beer and a smoke after the day’s play.

Professionalism at the highest level has largely relegated these off-field antics to sports’ amateur ranks. But every now and again, there is an exception to the rule.

When Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth hangs up his boots, he will probably do so as the most-capped Bok yet.

As the holder of at least two World Cup winner’s medals, along with countless other trophies and awards, he is already one of the greatest rugby players.

Yet his boyish mischief off the field is earning him a reputation that will go down in folklore alongside his on-field achievements.

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His stunt during a press conference after UFC middleweight world champion Dricus du Plessis retained his title against Israel Adesanya in Perth last weekend, is his best yet.

Along with Bok captain Siya Kolisi, Etzebeth was part of the entourage walking Du Plessis out to the hexagon and was one of the first to congratulate him after the win.

I tried to figure out the jovial Etzebeth’s ratio of celebration to sleep in the 14 hours between the final whistle blew after the Bok win in Perth and the start of the fight.

The videos that followed on social media told me 100/0.

After taking a casual sip of his energy drink while taking questions, a confused Du Plessis looks back at the can and then up to the camera as someone in the crowd is having difficulty in hiding his laughter.

The word is that Etzebeth spiked the drink with some brandy. Legendary.

The same Etzebeth posted a video of himself proudly pouring brannas and Coke into the Rugby Championship trophy in the dressing room in Salta, after defeating Argentina back in 2019.

He also famously shared a beer in the change room with Aussie prop Allan Alaalatoa in 2022, after the two were seemingly trying to kill each other in the Sydney Football Stadium earlier.

While fans appreciate the greats on the field, it’s these kinds of moments that endear to them even more. It shows that Etzebeth is just a human being like the rest of us.

Working hard and playing hard. Never change, big guy.

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